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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27364045">Metamorphosis</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/noblecrescent/pseuds/noblecrescent'>noblecrescent</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Home Saga [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005), Doctor Who (Comics)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Angst and Drama, Drama, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, Romance, Romantic Fluff, TARDIS - Freeform, Whovians, bickering and bantering, friends - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 16:23:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>47,406</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27364045</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/noblecrescent/pseuds/noblecrescent</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Renata has survived her illness and regenerated. With everything seemingly put behind them, she and the new Doctor decide to give themselves a chance but will they last? What with newcomer Amy Pond, Dr. Song lurking by - claiming things from the future - and Renata's belief in her inability to change for the better, things might not be looking so great for her and the Doctor. *2nd in the Home Saga.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Eleventh Doctor/Original Character(s), Eleventh Doctor/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Home Saga [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1613935</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. A New Beginning</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em><strong>Author's Note</strong>:</em> Hello! Welcome to my 3rd OC/Doctor pairing story. This is the second story of the 'Home Saga' involving my Time Lady OC Renata and the (now) 11th Doctor. I recommend that you go back to the first story "<span><em>The Beginning of Everything</em></span>" listed on my porfile for a better understanding of Renata's history and her story with the Doctor. Now this story will be a rewrite of Season 5 and some canon Doctor Who comic stories as well as my own original chapters. This story will also feature a canon Latinx Doctor Who <em>comic</em> companion, Gabby Gonzalez. She is NOT my creation.</p><p>Fair warning: I do disregard aspects of the series to make it fit my story.</p><p>Renata's current visual reference looks like the actress Livia Brito with dark brown (almost black) hair and dark brown eyes.</p><p>Gabby's <em>fancast</em> actress is Victoria Moroles with light skin, dark brown hair and dark eyes.</p><p>Couple of fun things: Renata's and the Doctor's main theme song is "Home" by Gabrielle Aplin. Renata's personal theme song is Butterfly by Luna Mae. (There's a specific playlist for them on my tumblr profile saiilorstars ).</p>
<hr/><p>Renata had never seen a more disastrous regeneration unfold. Of course only <em>the Doctor</em> could make that happen. She shouldn't even be surprised. It was only a matter of time until one of his regenerations caused the TARDIS to nearly explode. She furiously ran around the console, trying to calm the box without getting her hands burned in the process. Parts of the console room were still in flames and where was the culprit!?</p><p>"DOCTOR!" Renata's yell could almost go above the thuds and sparks from the lit console.</p><p>"Busy!" the newly regenerated Doctor called back only to have Renata snap.</p><p>"No you're not! You're…" she trailed off after poking her head around the console to see the Doctor pulling himself back inside the box.</p><p>"You left me dangling out there!" He exclaimed, flapping a hand at the open doors. The TARDIS had lurched to the side, throwing him out like a ragdoll.</p><p>Renata's dark eyes widened indignantly. She huffed and stepped away — or stumbled away because of the bouncy ride — from the console. "I did <em>not</em>! I'm trying to fix <em>your</em> mess! You can't even regenerate properly!"</p><p>Now it was the Doctor's turn to be offended. "What!? Excuse me for not dying the right way!"</p><p>Renata stalked over to him, intending on pulling him away from the doors that he irresponsibly left open as well. "The TARDIS needs to <em>land </em>so it can properly repair itself but I can't do that because—oh no!" She had gasped at something past him out the door. The Doctor whirled around to see them about to hit Big Ben. He used his sonic screwdriver to pull them to the side, a rather harsh turn that sent them both flying.</p><p>Only this time it sent the Doctor <em>away</em> from the doors and Renata <em>out</em> the doors.</p><p>"Renata!" the Doctor panicked. Oh, if he killed her, she would definitely kill him.</p><p>Like him, Renata had managed to hold onto the edge of the entrance. Now she dangled and was terrified for her lives. "GET ME UP! I HATE HEIGHTS!" she cried.</p><p>The Doctor scrambled to the doorway and looked down at her. He felt absolutely terrible because this wasn't the first time she was in this situation. She had her eyes screwed shut and her hands gripping the TARDIS as much as she could.</p><p>"You need to stop doing this to me!" she shouted when she felt his hands grab her arms. Last time she dangled from a terribly high height was on the first day she met Donna Noble in the Adipose building, and just like then she screamed for help now.</p><p>"Up you go!" the Doctor pulled her up and into the TARDIS. She was far too terrified and wrapped her arms around his neck as if he would stop her from falling again. Despite her clinging to him, the Doctor managed to shut the doors behind them.</p><p>The TARDIS continued to spin and lurch, throwing the two against the door. Renata's back hit the door with a thud and because she still held onto the Doctor, she brought him with her. Now she was locked between him and the door.</p><p>Despite their situation, the Doctor still found time to smile at her. "Hello," he greeted her for the first time since regenerating.</p><p>She was right, he hadn't regenerated properly. All the physical injuries he sustained in his previous incarnation carried over and it meant that the regeneration process had to work twice as hard to heal everything. The poor TARDIS never stood a chance and Renata had to work hard to keep them alive. There'd been no time to say hello and make sure she was alright. He would take these few seconds to do at least one of those two things.</p><p>Renata froze under that new gaze of his; she swallowed out of nervousness. Though he had a younger face, his emerald green eyes still held all the love and intensity he confessed before regenerating. It was still enough to calm her in the midst of a scary situation. But the TARDIS shook them again, reminding her pilots that she needed help or else they were all goners. The pair headed — a bit zig-zag from all the lurches — towards the console. They had to stop it before somebody got hurt. As it was, there was somebody below them who was asking for help from a higher power...the only higher power a seven year old could think of.</p><p>Little Amelia Pond didn't know what else to do with the ugly crack on her bedroom wall. It didn't look right and it didn't <em>sound </em>right either. Cracks shouldn't be <em>making </em>sounds. That's why she was scared of it. If it was a normal crack like her aunt Sharon told her it was, then she wouldn't hear noises from it.</p><p>Santa Claus had to help. She was just so sorry that she was waking him up during Easter. But just as she was once again asking for his help, she heard a crash in her backyard yard. Her ginger hair whipped to the side when she made the quick turn. She dashed to her window and looked below to see a dark blue box on the ground. She didn't understand power a lot, but she thought if Santa sent them then it must mean it was good enough to help her with the crack. Now she just had to be brave enough to go see it up close.</p><p>She grabbed her red jacket and the first shoes she saw - a pair of wellies - then ran out of her room. She ran as fast as she could down the stairs, thinking if she delayed then the box would disappear and she would be back to step one with the crack. She had just made it into the yard when the doors of the box flung open. The grappling hook that was thrown out and latched onto her lawn roller stopped her for a moment. What kind of box did that? Then she saw hands grabbing onto the edge of the box. A man's head popped out first, revealing incredibly wet hair.</p><p>"Can I have an apple?" he asked as soon as he met the girl's gaze. That was the first thing that his mind had thought of after such a ride. It was odd what regeneration did. "All I can think about - apples. I love apples. Maybe I'm having a craving. That's new - never had cravings before!"</p><p>Amelia swore she heard somebody screaming from inside the box. She was sure when the man flinched and looked below to respond to whatever had spoken inside the box.</p><p>"Sorry, love," he climbed out of the box then reached for something inside — <em>somebody</em> inside.</p><p>Amelia blinked when he pulled out a dark-haired woman from the box. Like him, she was soaking wet. "Are you okay?" the question blurted from Amelia's mouth.</p><p>"No! I am not!" Renata answered without even looking at the girl. She didn't even register that the Doctor hadn't been the one to ask the question. She wouldn't straddle the TARDIS like the Doctor was, she wanted to step on actual ground. She wanted to confirm that she was no longer dangling in the air.</p><p>"It is freezing out here! Where are we!?" Renata hugged herself wet body and began to look around. With such a landing, she didn't have the opportunity to see where the TARDIS had deposited them in. All she saw was water from the swimming pool.</p><p>They were in a garden, probably a backyard, that could honestly use some work. The grass was unkempt which meant somebody had neglected to give it a proper mowing. There were abandoned tools to one side — she winced when she realized that they had inadvertently smashed the shed — and then a park bench that could use some cleaning. Finally, she saw a swing set…</p><p><em>Oh</em>. Renata glanced at the girl, eyes wide when she finally realized there was a <em>child</em> present. A child had asked her if she was alright and she'd been so rude. "So sorry," she quickly apologized. "Uh...bit off my rocker thanks to…" she threw a sharp look at the Doctor who couldn't seem bothered. His grin was a sign alright.</p><p>Amelia looked between them and wondered how Santa thought <em>they</em> were capable of helping her. Then again, if they were this strange then perhaps they <em>were</em> the right ones to handle a strange crack with noise. "Seriously, are you okay?"</p><p>"We just had a fall," the Doctor said, patting the TARDIS under him. "All the way down there, right to the library. Hell of a climb back up."</p><p>"Yes, my library is ruined now," Renata came back to the box and peered inside, though as soon as she did she pulled away. It was an outright mess in there. "And Gabriella's going to be furious that her art room is basically nonexistent."</p><p>The Doctor winced. Up until now, their companion Gabriella Gonzalez hadn't ever been properly angry with him, so he was really hoping that he could keep that streak when they went back to pick her up.</p><p>Amelia hadn't understood what they were saying, but she could still make sense of what she saw. "You're soaking wet."</p><p>"Yes, we <em>are</em>," Renata glared at the Doctor again. She hugged herself and cursed the dress she wore.</p><p>"Yeah, you are," the Doctor repeated but he wasn't so upset like she was. He was staring at her with a growing smirk.</p><p>Renata blinked when she finally caught on to the fact he was checking her out. Her pretty flower-patterned dress was hugging her body in just the right way. He was loving the fact he could see her curves, her new curves that she would otherwise probably never show.</p><p>Her face went mad red, probably almost the shade of Amelia's hair. She turned away in an attempt to focus on Amelia, but there was a tingling feeling running up her backside. <em>You are not going to do that right here</em>, she scolded herself. But she may have sneaked a glance at the Doctor. He was still staring at her appreciatively.</p><p>Renata bit her lower lip and forced herself to pay attention to Amelia for real this time. "I am so sorry for the mess we've made here. I, uh, can tell that you've worked hard to keep this...garden clean…"</p><p>Amelia smiled in amusement when Renata had to practically force herself to finish that sentence after checking out the garden again. "Nobody takes care of the garden. But how come you're wet?"</p><p>"We were, uh, in the swimming pool," Renata walked back to the TARDIS, discreetly pinching the Doctor's arm. When the man yelped she smiled sweetly at him. He needed a good snap back to reality.</p><p>"You said you were in the library," Amelia reminded after she herself thought over the last statements the pair had made.</p><p>"That's because my library is now ruined as well because the swimming pool is inside it," Renata folded her arms again.</p><p>"Are you police?"</p><p>That question was enough to reel the pair in. They stared at the little girl who shifted on her feet, anxiously waiting for their answer.</p><p>"Why? Did you call the police?" the Doctor asked her.</p><p>"Not exactly, but I did want help. Did you come about the crack in my wall?"</p><p>"A crack?" Renata repeated, giving the girl a strange look for her question when suddenly the Doctor yelped in pain, falling to the ground.</p><p>"Agh!" the Doctor pulled himself up but was only able to kneel in the meantime.</p><p>Renata was at his side in a second, trying to ease his lingering pain. "You haven't regenerated properly thanks to the little old flight we had."</p><p>"Are you all right, mister?" Amelia asked, staying right where she was. Usually adults didn't want kids around when one of them was sick. Plus, the dark haired woman seemed to be on it.</p><p>"No, I'm fine, it's OK. This is all perfectly norm…" the Doctor trailed off and had the urge to open his mouth. When he did, regeneration energy drifted out.</p><p>Renata sighed. "Yup, definitely wrong. You'll need to rest."</p><p>"Did you?" the Doctor asked. By his calculations, it'd been about two days since she regenerated and he didn't see her taking a rest. She rolled her eyes at his weak attempt to argue.</p><p>"Who are you?" Amelia couldn't help herself from asking. They were so strange, especially the man.</p><p>"By the time we finish explaining, you'd be an adult," Renata offered the girl a soft smile.</p><p>"And to be fair, I'm still cooking," the Doctor was proud to announce. That was the one good thing he could remember from each regeneration: the thought of who this incarnation would turn out to be. What would he like? What wouldn't he like? What would his personality be like?</p><p>"Are you afraid?" Renata asked the child.</p><p>"No, it just looks a bit weird…" Amelia's gaze lingered on the Doctor as if he would release more energy.</p><p>"Well, that's good to hear, but I was talking about the crack you mentioned."</p><p>The answer was evident before Amelia even answered. She looked over her shoulder up to her bedroom. "Yes."</p><p>The Doctor jumped from the ground, missing Renata worriedly trying to stop him from doing anything else. "Well, then, no time to lose. I'm the Doctor, this is Renata. Do everything we tell you, don't ask stupid questions and don't wander off."</p><p>"Doctor…" Renata tried stopping him again but she was too late. He'd walked straight into a tree. She gasped at the terrible smack she heard. That's the last thing he needed!</p><p>The Doctor had fallen to the ground on his back, a terrible headache soon to come. When he opened his eyes, he saw Renata already with him while Amelia stood behind his head. "Early days. Steering's a bit off," he excused himself but winced with Renata's scoff.</p><p>"Think it's more than just early days," she mumbled as she helped him stand up. Though before she completely let him go, she grabbed his head and pulled him closer to inspect any scratches or cuts on his face. She ignored - or rather did her best to ignore - the Doctor's following eyes on her.</p><p>"What's your verdict, my nurse?" he asked her quietly.</p><p>She blushed and let him go. "You're fine. But do me a favor and try not to crash into anything else. I will need you when I go back for Gabriella. Don't want to explain to her how you died once more by running into a door."</p><p>The Doctor grinned. "Yes, ma'am."</p><p>~0~</p><p>Amelia had brought the pair into her house, an action that Renata wasn't sure how to feel about. Did nobody teach this child never let strangers into her house? Amelia came into the kitchen with two towels for them to dry up. Renata gratefully took hers while the Doctor practically snatched his distractedly. He was busy studying the solitary kitchen.</p><p>"If you're a doctor, why does your box say "Police"?" Amelia asked him before glancing at Renata. "Are you a policewoman?"</p><p>"More like his caretaker," Renata dried her hair and flashed a smirk at the frowning Doctor.</p><p>"Lies," he promptly said. "Where's my apple?"</p><p>Amelia went off to the fridge and hid her smile when Renata scolded him for not saying 'please'. She came back with an apple in hand but once the Doctor took only one bite, he spit out in disgust.</p><p>"That's disgusting. What is that?" he wiped the lingering remains off apple from his lips.</p><p>Renata was frowning at him for that bit. "You've been asking nonstop for an apple - what do you <em>think </em>she gave you?"</p><p>The Doctor heard her, he did, but he also heard his taste buds and they did <em>not</em> approve. "Apples are rubbish. I hate apples."</p><p>Amelia could not understand how easily he could change his mind. "You said you loved them."</p><p>"No, no, I love yogurt! Yogurt's my favorite. Give me yogurt!" the Doctor rubbed his hands together at the thought of creamy yogurt.</p><p>Beside him, Renata watched Amelia run back to the fridge to get the yogurt. Just like before, Amelia returned with what the Doctor asked.</p><p>"Thank you," Renata was about to take the container so Amelia could get a cup but neither ever got the chance. The Doctor snatched the container from Amelia's hand and ripped the container off to pour a massive amount into his mouth.</p><p>Renata gaped that it almost looked like her mouth would hit the floor. "Doctor!"</p><p>The Doctor spit the yogurt out as well. "Ugh! I hate yogurt, it's just stuff with bits in!"</p><p>"You said it was your favorite!" Amelia frowned. Some of the yogurt was on her wellies!</p><p>"Doctor, you are being very rude right now!" Renata was so close to smacking him. This was too much, even for <em>him</em>!</p><p>"What? New mouth, new rules!" He sloppily wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Renata shuddered.</p><p>Amelia chuckled. Renata looked incredibly funny right now.</p><p>"It's like eating after cleaning your teeth, everything tastes wro—agh!" the Doctor insisted but Renata grabbed him by the tie of his shirt and pulled him up to her.</p><p>"Stop making up stupid excuses and—" But the Doctor had another fit, ending whatever threat she'd been about to make. Renata let him go with a gasp. "Are you okay!?"</p><p>"What's wrong with him?" Amelia watched Renata lean the Doctor against the cabinets behind them. One moment he was arguing and the next he was sick? That didn't make sense.</p><p>"Oh, he, uh, just has—" Renata meant to construct a good reason that wouldn't scare Amelia off, but the Doctor had a very different idea in mind.</p><p>"Wrong with me? It's not my fault!" the Doctor exclaimed as he got off the wall. "Why can't you give me decent food? You're Scottish - fry something!"</p><p>"Doctor!" Renata scolded him while Amelia once again went to the fridge. "You don't have to, sweetheart!" she quickly told the girl but she was already pulling out a pan.</p><p>Amelia was a quick cook and in five minutes she presented the Doctor with two strips of bacon.</p><p>"Ah! Bacon!" the Doctor, to his credit, did look excited about this one.</p><p>However Renata wasn't very fond of the scent she got from it. <em>I guess this incarnation won't like bacon</em>, she concluded.</p><p>The Doctor agreed. He took one bite from a strip and spit it right out. "That's bacon. Are you trying to poison me?" he shot an accusing look at Amelia.</p><p>This time the girl took it a challenge. There had to be something this man would like and she would find out.</p><p>Meanwhile, Renata was close to steaming. "You are being incredibly rude!" she hissed at the Doctor as Amelia brought baked beans to them. "She's a <em>child</em> making food for you!"</p><p>"Well let's see if this is it!" the Doctor said. "Plus, <em>you</em> need to eat as well. When's the last time you ate since you regenerated?"</p><p>Renata rolled her eyes. Truth be told she didn't remember when she last ate. Things had escalated pretty fast after returning to Earth and finding the Master.</p><p>"Ah, you see, beans!" the Doctor happily exclaimed when Amelia came around with a plate. He took a spoonful of it and immediately decided she'd gotten it wrong again. He spit it back out on the plate and marched to the sink to throw it all away. "Beans are evil. Bad, bad beans!"</p><p>Amelia made a face and glanced at Renata. "What does he like?"</p><p>"At this point...not living!" Because with the glare she had on the Doctor, he might have just met his end.</p><p>Amelia sucked in a sharp breath and marched towards the cabinet. Her next attempt was simple. Maybe he was a simple man who liked simple food.</p><p>"Bread and butter. Now you're talking!" the Doctor rubbed his hands together as he prepared to eat.</p><p>This time, he thought it was <em>so</em> bad that the contents shouldn't even stay inside the house. He stormed towards the backdoor and threw the plate out. "And stay out!" he yelled as if it would really come back.</p><p>Amelia was frowning by this point.</p><p>"You are about to die again," Renata warned him when he returned. "She's done making food for you!"</p><p>"I just need something!" the Doctor argued as he went for the fridge.</p><p>Amelia followed him, offering other things she had in the fridge. "We've got some carrots?"</p><p>The Doctor scoffed. "<em>Carrots</em>? Are you insane? No, wait, hang on!" He flung open the freezer and searched through the contents. "I know what I need. I need... I need... I need…" He concluded that he needed two items that, if it wasn't for him, would never see each other. "Fish fingers and custard."</p><p>Both Renata and Amelia crinkled their noses with disgust. The Doctor happily went ahead with his odd creation.</p><p>"This time <em>I</em> get to make dinner for you," he proudly said to Renata when they sat down.</p><p>Renata tried her best not to look so disgusted at the bright yellow liquid inside the bowl. "Um...thanks?" Part of her laughed because he was actually trying to make dinner for her, but he'd chosen such a wrong combination. "You're so proud, aren't you?"</p><p>The Doctor dipped his fish finger into the bowl, eyes practically dazzling as he saw the gooey custard spill back into the bowl. He took a big bite and hummed with approval. "Good!"</p><p>Amelia chuckled from her spot. She'd chosen ice cream as her midnight meal.</p><p>"Oh, you are leaving quite an impression," Renata propped an elbow on the table to rest her cheek against her hand. The Doctor smiled proudly. He thought he was making a good one.</p><p>"Have some," he picked up a fish finger for her.</p><p>"Look Doctor, I appreciate your intention but...that does not look appetizing," Renata chuckled at it.</p><p>"But it's good!"</p><p>"Fish fingers and custard? I don't think so," Renata playfully rolled her eyes. The Doctor dipped the fish finger into the custard bowl as she went on. "I think I'll just grab an apple or something but you will <em>not</em> have me trying—" the Doctor had popped a fish finger into her mouth. Her eyes widened in alarm, quickly flashing anger at him. "Doc…"</p><p>"Ah! Chew!" the Doctor pointed at her with a wagging finger. "You always say you chew your food and swallow before talking at the table."</p><p>"That's what aunt Sharon says," Amelia said.</p><p>"See, Renata is very fond of routines and rules so I hope she wouldn't break them because it's <em>her,"</em> the Doctor set a very smug smile on the Time Lady.</p><p>She returned the gesture with a sarcastic smile, but she started to chew to get rid of the foul combination. And then suddenly...she cocked her head and began chewing slower. When it came time to swallow, it wasn't forced at all.</p><p>"Well?" the Doctor asked, even though he had already assumed her opinion changed on the meal.</p><p>"Uuh...that was...that was actually kind of good," Renata said slowly as she was still trying to wrap her head around the fact. "That can't be right. It shouldn't work!"</p><p>"The oddest things sometimes work," the Doctor reached over with a thumb to clear off a lingering spot of custard on her lips. "Sound familiar?"</p><p>Renata blushed. "You think you're so smart, don't you?"</p><p>"I like to think I'm a genius," the Doctor said as he returned to his bowl.</p><p>"You are so modest," Renata sighed and reached for another fish finger, completely ignoring the Doctor's smug smile widening. She wouldn't hear the end of this one, she knew! She checked on the little girl who, up until now, hadn't shown any trauma from everything they'd put her through. "What's your name, sweetheart?" she asked when she realized they hadn't even asked her yet. They were there, sitting at her table, eating her food, and they didn't even bother asking her what her name was!</p><p>"Amelia Pond," the girl said.</p><p>"Ah, that's a brilliant name. Amelia Pond, like a name in a fairy tale," the Doctor said, making the girl smile a bit wider. Everyone always seemed to pick on her for her odd name, but what could she do about it?</p><p>"Are we in Scotland, Amelia?" Renata asked. She didn't even know where they were because of the TARDIS' crashing.</p><p>"No. We had to move to England. It's rubbish," Amelia crinkled her nose as if she'd only just moved in yesterday.</p><p>"So what about your mum and dad, then? Are they upstairs?" the Doctor leaned a bit in his chair to catch sight of the stairs. Up until now, no one had come down to check on them. "Thought we'd have woken them by now."</p><p>"Oh, what would make you think that?" Renata sarcastically asked him. "You screaming at a plate of beans? Or how about the big old box crashing in the garden?"</p><p>The Doctor rolled his eyes at her. "Oh, we'll fix that for them."</p><p>"The least we could do," Renata mumbled.</p><p>"I don't actually have a mum and dad. Just an aunt," Amelia answered when she thought they were done bickering again.</p><p>"We don't even have an aunt," the Doctor said, giving her a wink.</p><p>"You're lucky!"</p><p>Renata gave an odd look at the girl. "Why would you say something like that? Is your aunt not nice?"</p><p>Amelia didn't answer right away, but Renata could tell the girl was upset by something. "She's nice, but...she's not here, is she?"</p><p>Renata hummed as she looked around. "Right. Of course she wouldn't be here. She really leaves you alone?"</p><p>"I'm not scared," Amelia raised her head up high, making the pair of Time Lords smile.</p><p>"Ooh, we know," the Doctor said. "You're not scared of anything! Box falls out of the sky, man and woman fall out of box, man and woman eat fish custard, and look at you, just sitting there. So you know what I think?"</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"Must be a hell of a scary crack in your wall."</p><p>Renata agreed with a silent nod. And if she was guessing, Amelia must have told her aunt about this crack but the aunt hadn't listened. Amelia must be terrified and yet the aunt still left her alone!?</p><p>~ 0 ~</p><p>Amelia brought the Doctor up to her bedroom when they were done with dinner. Renata had insisted on washing everything before she could join them. How could they have dinner in someone else's home and not clean up after themselves? So, the Doctor began examining the crack on the wall by himself. At first glance, it did look like any ordinary crack. He might have even turned away if he'd only looked at it for a few seconds.</p><p>"You've had some cowboys in here. Not actual cowboys, though that can happen," he murmured as he worked along the crack.</p><p>"How are we doing?" Renata walked in a few minutes later and dropped an apple into Amelia's hand. "No seven year old should have ice cream at midnight. Have one."</p><p>Amelia scrunched her face at the apple she now held, though she did smile when she saw a carving of a butterfly on it. "How'd you do that?"</p><p>Renata smiled secretively as she bent down in front of the girl. "You want to know a secret? I'm like the Mother of butterflies." She turned her palm around and let golden energy rise from her skin, gently swirling until they formed miniature butterflies."</p><p>Amelia's green eyes expanded to the point of bulging from her head. She was enchanted with the butterflies flying around her. "That's so cool!"</p><p>Renata chuckled. "You think so? You want to know another secret?" Amelia nodded excitedly. Renata leaned a little closer and whispered, "I just learned how to do that downstairs."</p><p>The Doctor looked from the crack to see the sight. He smiled softly at the two. Renata was just so good with children, with people in general, that it seemed like no matter what incarnation she was in, this was a part of her core personality.</p><p>Renata straightened up on her feet and turned to the Doctor, catching him in his act of staring. She raised an eyebrow at him, questioning why he was wasting time, but he just continued to smile at her. Before she could blush again - she was beginning to think that this body would be doing that a lot easier now - Renata cleared her throat and walked up to the wall. "So, have we got anything on this menacing crack?"</p><p>"Uh, sort of…" the Doctor gave the crack all of his attention now. "This wall is solid and the crack doesn't go all the way through it. So here's a thing - where's the drought coming from?"</p><p>"Let's find out," Renata reached for her sonic screwdriver in her dress' pocket and aimed it at the wall. The Doctor took the chance to scoot closer to her, letting his chin rest on her shoulder while she took in the readings. Renata concentrated really hard on the sonic and not the sensation she was feeling from his closeness. "Interesting…"</p><p>"What?" Amelia wanted to get closer but she still was kind of afraid of the crack.</p><p>"Wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey!" the Doctor thought that was the perfect explanation. He moved away from Renata and stopped at the start of the crack. "You know what the crack is? It's a crack, clearly." He began to run his fingers along the crack, bringing him back to where Renata stood. "I'll tell you something funny. If you knocked this wall down, the crack would stay put, 'cos the crack isn't in the wall."</p><p>"Where is it, then?" Amelia made a face. Half of his words weren't making sense, but she was pretty sure that the thing on her wall looked like a crack.</p><p>"It's everywhere," Renata said quietly, her face growing more grim by the second. "In everything. It's a split in the skin of the world. And that is not right. Two parts of space and time that should never have touched, pressed together...right here in the wall of your bedroom. How could that happen?" she glanced at the Doctor for some ideas, not that she didn't have her own.</p><p>Her first assumption was that this was a direct consequence of the Master and the Time Lords breaking out of the Time Lock. There was too much tampering with that time period, from both sides, that perhaps Time itself finally had enough.</p><p>"Sometimes, can you hear…" the Doctor actually meant to think this but since he said out loud, Amelia quickly jumped in with the answer.</p><p>"A voice!? Yes!"</p><p>Both aliens paused to look back at the anxious girl. It was clear that she'd been waiting for somebody to believe her.</p><p>The Doctor reached for a glass of water on the nightstand. He chucked the water to the side and pressed its rim against the wall. Soon as he put his ear against the end of the glass, he heard an echoing voice on the other side.</p><p>
  <em>'Prisoner Zero has escaped'</em>
</p><p>The Doctor stepped away, nose crinkling as he repeated what he heard. "Prisoner Zero?"</p><p>Amelia once again jumped in. "Prisoner Zero has escaped. That's what I heard!" She wasn't the only one hearing the voices now! If they believed it then it meant things would finally get fixed. "What does it mean?"</p><p>"Be subtle," Renata whispered to the Doctor. This was still a child they were dealing with and they shouldn't terrify her.</p><p>Of course that's what Renata thought, because despite her warning the Doctor still went ahead and answered with the blunt truth. "It means that, on the other side of this wall, there's a prison and they've lost a prisoner." Renata rubbed her forehead wearily. So that incarnation also had a loud mouth. Great. "You might need a better wall," the Doctor concluded as he went for the desk nearby. He pulled it away so that the wall was free of any furniture. "The only way to close the breach is to open it all the way. The forces will invert and it'll snap itself shut. Or…" Renata once again made an attempt to remind him Amelia was still a child. This time it seemed like he got it. "You know when grown-ups tell you everything's going to be fine and you think they're probably lying to make you feel better?"</p><p>"Yes," Amelia nodded with a roll of her eyes. That was so annoying.</p><p>"Everything's going to be fine."</p><p>Amelia's face fell flat.</p><p>Renata shut her eyes for a moment, wondering which one of his lines was worse.</p><p>"Renée?" the Doctor called to her, in the process letting it be known that he would still be using that nickname for her as well. He was holding his hand out for her.</p><p>"Yeah, alright," the Time Lady moved up beside him and took his hand. Funny, it seemed to slip in so easily with his. Renata then glanced back to where Amelia stood and did the same like the Doctor. "Amelia?"</p><p>The girl grinned when Renata offered her other hand to her. She moved around the bed and took Renata's hand.</p><p>"Alright then, let's get this big, bad wall shut!" the Doctor held his sonic to the crack.</p><p>Amelia turned her head at the sonic when it started making that whirring noise. Renata's sonic hadn't made that noise, she wondered why the Doctor's did. Amelia soon forgot about that detail when a bright light started shining through the crack. It was opening! While Amelia shielded her eyes, Renata squinted hers to see prison cells on the other side. Her hand squeezed Amelia's when she realized that the child had been sleeping next to a <em>prison,</em> an alien prison.</p><p><em>'Prisoner Zero has escaped</em>,' a voice announced on a loop. '<em>Prisoner Zero has escaped</em>.'</p><p>The Doctor took a step towards the crack, hoping to end things without much trouble. "Hello?" At the second call, a giant blue eye surprised him and the others.</p><p>"What's that?" Amelia frowned at the creature. It kept swiveling its eyeball at them.</p><p>Before either Time Lord answered, a ball of light shot out from the crack and struck the Doctor. He landed against the bed just as the crack sealed up.</p><p>"Doctor, are you alright!?" Renata let go of Amelia's hand - though she ushered the girl away from the crack - and rushed to the Doctor.</p><p>He was getting back on his feet with a bit of struggle. The regeneration was still going. "There. You see, told you it would close. Good as new."</p><p>Amelia wasn't sure if she was supposed to be relieved or scared. But at least the crack was gone. "What was that thing? Was that Prisoner Zero?"</p><p>"No. I think that was Prisoner Zero's guard. Whatever it was, it sent me a message." The Doctor pulled out his psychic paper from his pant's pocket. "Psychic paper, takes a lovely little message. '<em>Prisoner Zero has escaped</em>.' But why tell us?"</p><p>Renata dreaded the answer as she glanced back at the wall. "Because maybe this is where he escaped through…" If the crack truly was what they thought it was, then this was a weak point in Time. Anything could get through if it tried.</p><p>"But he couldn't have. We'd know!" the Doctor argued initially. They would have noticed something like that.</p><p>"No, we wouldn't," Renata said calmly to him. "It's like you said. I just regenerated 2 days ago and I haven't slept or ate since before and you just regenerated an hour ago. We're not functioning the right way."</p><p>The Doctor would concede with that point, several points. "Brand-new me, nothing works yet," he mumbled with annoyance as he headed out of the room. "Still, I feel like there's something I'm missing…" he stopped by the staircase banister and thought, "...in the corner...of my eye." He and Renata jumped at the sound of the cloister bell ringing.</p><p>"Oh, great," Renata sighed while the Doctor broke into a race for the TARDIS. She and Amelia hurried after him into the backyard.</p><p>"We've got to get back in there!" The Doctor exclaimed as he came up to the TARDIS. "The engines are phasing, it's going to burn!"</p><p>Amelia couldn't quite see that happening since it was just a box. "But... it's just a box! How can a box have engines?"</p><p>The Doctor struggled to free the grappling hook while Renata hurried to gather the rope around them. "That's because it's not a box. It's a time machine, sweetheart," Renata explained as she returned to the Doctor's side with the role in her arms.</p><p>Amelia blinked at her then checked the box again. "What, a real one? You've got a real time machine?"</p><p>"It's his, not mine," Renata gave a nod at the Doctor. "Mine wouldn't have landed like this."</p><p>"Oh!" the Doctor stopped working altogether to frown at Renata. "It's not like I planned this! I didn't see you doing a better job!"</p><p>"What!?" Renata dropped the rope with an indignant cry. "Your spasm of regeneration didn't exactly give me the time! Honestly, I have never seen a messier regeneration!"</p><p>Amelia's head once again turned from Renata to the Doctor as each of them took their turn responding to the other's comment. She smiled, though, when Renata sprouted golden butterfly wings. It definitely halted the argument.</p><p>"So...that's a thing now?" the Doctor was just as surprised as Amelia. He eyed the admittedly beautiful golden butterfly wings that were made out of pure Vortex and Osiran power. To Amelia, it looked more like fairy dust (Renata just needed to be blonde to be like Tinkerbell!). Bright, golden sparkle dust!</p><p>Renata was mortified to see them back. She looked over her shoulder with a loud groan. "Go away!" She shouted at them as if they actually had ears.</p><p>The Doctor chuckled at her. "C'mon my beautiful butterfly," he tugged her towards him by the hand. "We really have to get the TARDIS stabilized. I think a 5 minute hop into the future should do it."</p><p>"Yeah, I suppose you're right," Renata forgot about the silky argument and gathered up the rope she let fall.</p><p>Amelia watched the two work together like they hadn't been arguing a minute ago. It was rather funny. They were funny. Nothing around her was ever funny. She always spent most of her time alone. Who could she be funny with? Definitely not aunt Sharon. "Can I come?" she asked the two after they'd looped the rope through the door handle.</p><p>"Not safe in here, not yet," the Doctor told her, making her hopeful smile falter.</p><p>Renata walked over to the girl with a soft smile. "Listen, it'll just be 5 minutes and then we'll be back, right Doctor?"</p><p>"Absolutely!" he gave a thumbs up in the air.</p><p>"People always say that," Amelia frowned.</p><p>The Doctor walked over as well and looked her in the eyes. "Am I people? Do I even look like people? Trust me, I'm the Doctor. And, if you want extra assurance, that's why I have Renata."</p><p>Amelia's hope returned. "Really?"</p><p>"Have you ever seen a star in outer space?" Renata asked her and couldn't help chuckle at Amelia's widened eyes. She really did have big eyes. "Start picking a constellation. We'll work out permission with your aunt after." She had quite a few words to exchange with that Aunt of hers who just left her on her own.</p><p>The Doctor led Renata back to the TARDIS. They climbed over the edge again and, with one last look at Amelia, they jumped inside.</p><p>"Geronimo!" Amelia heard the Doctor's scream before the TARDIS doors closed. A few seconds later, the box disappeared into thin air.</p><p>Amelia continued to grin and hope for their return as she ran back home to collect her things. She had no idea what she would need to see a star in outer space but she would be very prepared!</p><p>~0~</p><p>The TARDIS returned to the same spot as before, but its inhabitants wouldn't notice straightaway something truly important. Renata came out of the TARDIS first - shoved out by the Doctor - coughing from the smoke billowing out of the box.</p><p>"We've got to let her repair!" Renata said in the midst of her coughing. The Doctor could only nod for a moment as he got over his coughing. "It's day time…" Renata realized as she looked up at the clear, blue sky. "Oh my God...it's <em>d</em><em>ay </em>time! We told her 5 minutes — Amelia!" She raced into the house with the Doctor right behind her.</p><p>They hollered for Amelia to get out of the house. For this one moment, Renata would forget her rules about breaking in for the sake of Amelia's well being. They went directly to the one door they couldn't catch before but this time the sonic wasn't working.</p><p>"Is she at school!?" Renata tried to guess with the most logical idea. If it were that then at least she would be safe.</p><p>The Doctor struggled with the door but stopped when he heard a loud smack behind. He spun around and barely got a second to see Renata on the floor before he too was whacked across the head.</p><p>The next time they came to, the pair found themselves handcuffed to a radiator. A female police officer in a short skirt stood off to the side, speaking into her radio.</p><p>"White male and female, mid-20s, breaking and entering. Send me some back-up, I've got them restrained." The woman shot the pair a glare. "Oi, you! Sit still."</p><p>"Cricket bat. I'm getting cricket bat!" the Doctor felt the throb where the bat had hit him, but he was more angry at the fact Renata had also gotten the hit.</p><p>"Call me crazy but I think…" Renata paused to scrunch her face at the lingering pain she felt on the back of her head, "I think that was some uncalled police brutality." She tried moving her hand and found she was handcuffed to the same handcuff the Doctor was. "Oh, <em>really?"</em></p><p>The Doctor nodded over at the policewoman. "I don't carry handcuffs, love!"</p><p>"You were breaking and entering," the policewoman said in a manner that would leave clear she used the appropriate amount of force against them.</p><p>Renata gasped with offence. "I have never broken into a place! Usually <em>he</em>—" she pointed at the Doctor with her free hand, "—is the one that drags me into it! My record with the authorities is clean!"</p><p>The Doctor stared at her with a flat expression. "Thanks, dear. Really appreciate your defense right now." His voice suddenly turned into a shout that startled the police woman but not Renata. "I literally died 2 hours ago and some woman just hit me with a cricket bat! You're not even going to mention that fact!?"</p><p>"What do you want me to do about it!? Kiss it and make it better!?"</p><p>The Doctor opened his mouth to snap when he suddenly tilted his head with consideration of the proposal. "Actually <em>yes,</em> that would make it <em>so</em> much better." Renata rolled her eyes but she turned her head away to hide her smile.</p><p>The police woman banged a hand against the staircase banister to get their attention back. "Do you want to shut up now? I've got back-up on the way! You both broke in!"</p><p>"But what are you doing here? Where's Amelia?" the Doctor asked, or rather demanded. He doubted this was the aunt Sharon that Amelia mentioned.</p><p>The police woman tilted her head at them. "Amelia Pond?"</p><p>"Adorable little Scottish girl," Renata said. "Where is she? We promised her five minutes but the engines were phasing." She craned her head up at the window where the sun was shining was through. "I suppose we must have gone a bit far. Perhaps a day? Has something happened to her?"</p><p>The officer folded her arms, seeming like she was enjoying their momentary panic. "Amelia Pond hasn't lived here in a long time."</p><p>"How long?" the Doctor dared to ask. Renata had assumed they'd been late by a day but if turned out to be more, he wasn't sure Renata could take it.</p><p>"Six months."</p><p>Renata gasped. "No, no, no! We can't be six months late! We said five minutes. We promised!"</p><p>The police woman turned away with zero interest in their guilt.</p><p>"What happened to her? What happened to Amelia Pond?" the Doctor now demanded from her.</p><p>"Sarge, it's me again," the police woman spoke in a hurried, hushed tone into her radio "Hurry it up, this guy knows something about Amelia Pond."</p><p>"What!?" Renata fully panicked now. Why would the police woman say something like that? Had something happened to Amelia!? What if she got hurt while waiting for them to come back!? Had she wandered off into the streets on her own to search for them!?</p><p>"Renée? Calm down," the Doctor struggled to move his cuffed hand closer to hers. He could see her beginning to panic and he wanted nothing more than to ease her. His free hand was the one to finally touch her face. "This face will be easier to read." He noted her widened eyes and the way her light skin paled up a bit.</p><p>"We told her 5 minutes and now something might have happened to her," Renata whispered. She directed her eyes to the police woman. "Please, you have to tell us what happened to Amelia? Is she missing?"</p><p>The police woman seemed to shift under those soft eyes of Renata. The Time Lady was so concerned, her voice cracking as if tears would roll down her face anytime soon. "Well…"</p><p>"Look, we need to speak to whoever lives in this house now," the Doctor cut in sharply. "And I'd like some information on Amelia Pond as well."</p><p>"I live here," the police woman snapped.</p><p>"But you're the police!"</p><p>"Yes, and this is where I live. You got a problem with that?!"</p><p>"I've got a problem with the fact you're keeping your mouth shut about Amelia!" snapped Renata. "So here's a little something for you, dear, how many rooms you got in this house?"</p><p>The police woman rolled her eyes. They were just trying to have her, weren't they?</p><p>"How many rooms?" Renata repeated the question, her tone growing harder by the second. "On this floor. How many rooms on this floor? Can you count them for us?"</p><p>"Why?"</p><p>"Because it will change your life," the Doctor left it at that. She didn't know what was living next door to her and once she realized it, she'd be in for the shock of her lives.</p><p>The woman decided to humor them. So she turned around and started counting the doors. "Five. One, two, three, four, five."</p><p>"Wrong," snapped Renata, making the police woman flinch. She sounded like a teacher.</p><p>"Six," the Doctor said, softer than Renata but it wasn't like he didn't understand her current feelings.</p><p>"Six?" the woman shook her head. "What do you take me-"</p><p>"Just look!" Renata insisted.</p><p>"Look where?"</p><p>"Exactly where you don't want to look," the Doctor told her, nodding at something behind her. "Where you never want to look, the corner of your eye. Look behind you."</p><p>The police woman sighed and turned where he was pointing to. She was about to chalk them off as crazy when she finally realized they were right. There was a door right there. "That's...that is not possible. How's that possible?"</p><p>"There's a perception filter round the door," the Doctor began to explain. "Sensed it the last time I was here. Should've seen it."</p><p>"But that's a whole room. That's a whole room I've never even noticed."</p><p>"That's because the filter stops you," Renata told her. "Something came a while ago to hide. It's still hiding. You need to uncuff us now!" She yanked on the handcuffs, hissing each time the metal dug into her skin.</p><p>"I don't have the key. I lost it." Because she was walking towards the door, she missed Renata's and the Doctor's dumbfounded faces.</p><p>"How can you have lost it?!" Renata shouted in outrage. She yanked on the handcuffs again, ignoring the Doctor's cry for her to stop doing that.</p><p>"Hey you! Stay away from that door!" the Doctor shouted at the police woman who was just going straight for it. "Do not touch that door! Listen to me! Do not open that-" the woman turned the knob and effectively opened the door. "Why does no one ever listen to me? Do I just have a face that nobody listens to?" He met Renata's gaze and saw her teasing smile. "<em>Again</em>?" he asked, disheartened over the problem repeating itself in a brand new incarnation.</p><p>Renata laughed. "I think that's just part of your personality, my dear."</p><p>The Doctor would've smiled more if he hadn't remembered the police woman wandering into the forbidden room at the end of the hallway. "Hey!"</p><p>"Sonic!" Renata exclaimed. "Mine must have dropped with that tumultuous TARDIS trip!"</p><p>The Doctor came up short with his own sonic. "My screwdriver, where is it?"</p><p>"Oh, great!" Renata rolled her eyes. Maybe her luck was beginning to change into something similar as his. That wasn't good at all!</p><p>"Silver thing, blue at the end. Where did it go?" the Doctor continued searching his pockets to no avail.</p><p>"There's nothing here!" the police woman called from inside the room.</p><p>"And who told you that it would let you see it!?" Renata snapped. She tried turning her body to where she would be able to see a bit into the room, but the only thing she did was lean on the Doctor <em>too</em> close.</p><p>"Seriously, you could keep doing that," he wasn't at all shy to say.</p><p>Renata paused to give him a sharp look. "Well, this new you certainly has no problem flirting."</p><p>"I said I learned my lesson last time," he said, referring to his last words before regenerating. He was done wasting time with Renata and because he knew how shy she was, he would be the bold one (not that he ever had a problem with that). He would be the one to flirt with her, do the touching until she learned how to come out of her shell - or cocoon, given her butterfly abilities - and do the same. Renata was too used to hiding herself, hiding her feelings and not expressing how she felt at moments. It was the way she was raised on Gallifrey and after 11 regenerations, it would be a hard habit to break, but not impossible.</p><p>"You said silver, blue at the end?" the police woman's call cut into the pair's moment. They looked at the open doorway and saw she was way too inside.</p><p>"My screwdriver, yeah…" the Doctor said slowly.</p><p>"It's here!"</p><p>"Must have rolled under the door," Renata reasoned but the police woman said a very interesting response.</p><p>"Yeah. Must have," the policewoman said. "And then it must have jumped up on the table…"</p><p>"Get out of there!" the Doctor yelled frantically.</p><p>Renata started yanking on the cuffs again. That policewoman really was naive to think she was safe and sound in that room. She frantically pulled and pulled, feeling desperate as the Doctor vainlessly called to the woman to get out. Suddenly, her golden energy tangled around the cuffs, snapping them in two. "Ha!" Renata laughed, totally surprised but loving the fact she could do that. The Doctor was stunned but he would take whatever worked right now. Without thinking, she grabbed the cuff still around the Doctor's wrist and watched as once more the energy wrapped around it to break it.</p><p>"Loving it!" the Doctor exclaimed and scrambled up to his feet. Just as he helped Renata up, they heard the police woman scream from the room.</p><p>The police woman ran out of the room, terrified by whatever she saw in there. The Doctor marched over the rest of the space between them and snatched his sonic from her. "Give me that!" He used it to lock the bedroom door.</p><p>"Will that door hold it?" the police woman asked them, still slightly out of breath from bolting. The creature had stared her in the <em>face</em>!</p><p>"Oh, yeah, yeah, course! It's an inter-dimensional multi-form from outer-space - they're all terrified of wood!" the Doctor sarcastically snapped.</p><p>A bright light flashed around the edges of the door.</p><p>"What's that? What's it doing?"</p><p>"It doesn't matter, just go!" Renata ushered the woman towards the staircase. "Your back-up's coming, we'll be fine."</p><p>The woman spun around, forcing Renata back. "There is no back-up!"</p><p>"What? But we heard you on the radio, you called for back-up!"</p><p>"I was pretending. It's a pretend radio!"</p><p>"What!? Impersonating a police woman is a crime!"</p><p>The woman rolled her eyes. "I'm a kissogram!" she pulled her hat off and revealed her bright ginger hair that fell over one shoulder.</p><p>Renata was stunned but then a new thought popped in. "What's a kissogram?"</p><p>At that moment, the door of the room fell down to reveal a man in blue overalls holding a leash to a very large Rottweiler.</p><p>The ginger woman blinked at them. She had no idea how those two got into her room, but they at least seemed harmless. "But it's just…"</p><p>"No, it isn't. Look at the faces," the Doctor knew what the woman had been thinking and urged her to pay better attention.</p><p>The man was growling and barking instead of the dog.</p><p>The woman couldn't take it. "What? I'm sorry, but what!?"</p><p>"It's all one creature. One creature disguised as two! Now you really must go!" Renata tried turning the woman away, missing the way the man and the dog turned their head at them.</p><p>"Are you kidding!? I'm not leaving that there! In my house!"</p><p>"I am curious how it's pulling that psychic link if it needs a live feed," the Doctor admitted while he continued to study the man and dog. "How did you fix that?" He got a snarl as a response, followed by a threatening step towards them.</p><p>Renata yanked him back. "Please don't question the enemy when it can kill us! Am I also going to have to constantly repeat that in this regeneration!?"</p><p>"Well, I won't lie…" the Doctor swayed his head, figuring this was just another core personality trait for him.</p><p>
  <em>'Attention, Prisoner Zero. The human residence is surrounded. Attention Prisoner Zero. 'The human residence is surrounded.'</em>
</p><p>The ginger woman's eyes widened in alarm. She spun around trying to find the source of the voice until Renata stopped her. Good thing she did because the woman was near dizzy. "What's that?"</p><p>
  <em>'Prisoner Zero will vacate the human residence or the human residence will be incinerated.'</em>
</p><p>"Okay, now we run!" the Doctor ushered Renata and the woman down the stairs. He used the sonic to lock the house door, hoping that would buy them some time.</p><p>Renata studied the woman while the Doctor made sure the door was actually locked. His sonic was acting a bit wonky. "Seriously, what's a kissogram?" She eyed the odd uniform, bobbing her head side to side. "And does it always involve short skirts?"</p><p>The ginger woman gave her a look. "Seriously?"</p><p>Renata innocently shrugged. She had only lived on Earth from 1913 to 1969 and the one year in the modern world that she spent with the Master against her will — she was mostly locked away. She didn't have a lot of time to truly get to know the humans in modern times.</p><p>"I go to parties and kiss people!"</p><p>Renata cocked her head to one side. "And you get paid for that?"</p><p>"Yes!"</p><p>Renata considered what that must be like and she soon crinkled her nose when she decided that would not be a job she would be interested in. "And the costume is from these parties?"</p><p>"You broke into my house! It was this or a French maid!"</p><p>"Makes sense," Renata concluded. The Doctor finally got some handle on the sonic and yanked her and the woman away from the house.</p><p>"What's going on? Tell me! Tell me!" the woman rightfully demanded as they crossed the yard towards the TARDIS.</p><p>"An alien convict is hiding in your spare room disguised as a man and a dog, and some other aliens are about to incinerate your house. Any questions?"</p><p>The woman flipped her head to Renata, but the Time Lady confirmed the story with a nod. "Sort of it, sorry."</p><p>The Doctor groaned at the TARDIS who wouldn't open her doors. "No, no, don't do that, not now! It's still rebuilding, not letting us in!"</p><p>"Well what'd you expect after the number we put her through?" Renata gave the TARDIS and sympathetic glance. "We'll just have to make do until she's ready."</p><p>
  <em>'Prisoner Zero will vacate the human residence or the human residence will be incinerated.'</em>
</p><p>The Doctor flapped an arm at the house behind them. "We need the TARDIS! How can we stop them if I don't have the TARDIS!?"</p><p>"Never stopped you before," Renata smiled at him. The Doctor stopped fussing with the TARDIS to meet her smiling gaze.</p><p>The woman groaned at them and grabbed each of the pair's arms. "Come on!"</p><p>The Doctor would've let her take them to the street had he not seen the new-looking shed on the side of the garden. "No, wait, hang on, wait, wait, wait. The shed!" he got loose from the woman's hold and rushed up to the shed. Renata blinked at the sight of it as well. "We destroyed that shed last time we were here, smashed it to pieces!"</p><p>"So there's a new one. Let's go!" the woman tried pulling Renata with her but now the Time Lady was suspicious as well. She pried the woman's hand off her wrist and studied the shed.</p><p>"It might be new but it's also <em>old</em>," Renata said as she noticed the darkened spots of the shed's wood. The Doctor ran a hand down the wood. "It could be—" she stopped mid-word when the Doctor <em>licked</em> his finger to taste the wood. Renata scrunched her face, eyes shutting close. "Doctor—"</p><p>"12 years!" the Doctor whirled around with the right answer, stunning Renata in the process. He marched back to them, specifically to the ginger woman. "We're not six months late, we're 12 years late!"</p><p>"It's been 12 years," Renata felt her stomach churn wondering how angry little Amelia must have been with them. They broke their promise to her!</p><p>Meanwhile, the woman seemed more nervous than a few seconds ago. "He's coming!" she made a nod at the house still in danger of being incinerated.</p><p>"You said six months. Why did you say six months?" Renata got right in her face, demanding to hear the truth. She knew that the woman was hiding something. She knew the way people kept secrets because that had been her main job not too long ago.</p><p>"We've got to!" the woman insisted but Renata grabbed her arm tightly. The woman knew something about Amelia, what with those big eyes—</p><p>"The big eyes…" Renata whispered with her own wide eyes.</p><p>The woman only stared at her, mildly confused, but otherwise still nervous. "Look, we've got to go!"</p><p>"Not until you tell us!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Why did you say six months?"</p><p>The woman's thin eyebrows furrowed together as pain flashed across her face. "Why did you say five minutes?!" she shouted at both of them, pulling her arm out of Renata's hold.</p><p>"What?" the Doctor practically froze in his spot, only moving his head to see Renata staring sadly at the woman.</p><p>"She has the same big eyes," she told him. "Amelia's big eyes."</p><p>The woman, who was indeed Amelia, glared at her. "They are not big! C'mon!" She led the way out of the house, figuring if they wanted to continue with the conversation they would follow her into the street.</p><p>"You're Amelia!?" the Doctor was right behind the woman, forcing her to stop just to look at her again.</p><p>"You're late!" hissed Amelia and continued to walk.</p><p>"You were a little girl," Renata did her best to keep up with Amelia's fast pace. "Amelia Pond!"</p><p>"I'm Amelia and you're late!" Amelia hissed directly at Renata's face, eyes blazing with anger. "Five minutes my a—"</p><p>"I'm so sorry!" Renata threw her arms around the woman, hugging her tight.</p><p>Amelia had been expecting anything but <em>that</em>. Her big, green eyes flickered all around while she awkwardly stood there being hugged. She met the Doctor's gaze who was smiling softly at Renata.</p><p>"We didn't mean to be late! I'm <em>never</em> late!" Renata pulled away from Amelia, looking her over one more time. She was a complete adult now! Renata sighed and brought a hand to her forehead, letting her fingers dig through her black hair. "Amelia, I am <em>so</em> sorry. We really did mean to come back but the TARDIS is just…" She trailed off and shook her head, deciding that Amelia probably wasn't interested in excuses. She'd been wronged and she was rightfully upset. "No excuses. We're sorry. I did think of a star for you, though. I thought the Big Dipper might have been good. It's a popular one amongst the humans. I'm sorry."</p><p>Amelia arched a confused eyebrow at the Time Lady. She looked so guilty that it made Amelia feel like <em>she</em> was wrong for being so angry. How did Renata make that happen!? She glanced at the Doctor and while he looked pretty guilty himself, it was nothing compared to Renata. She was horrified.</p><p>Amelia wondered for the first time in 12 years, <em>who</em> really are these two aliens? She spent all her life imagining them in adventures that now that she had them actually in front of her, she had to rewrite everything she knew about them. Who was the Doctor? And who was Renata?</p>
<hr/><p>
  <strong>Author's Note:</strong>
</p><p>And there's our first chapter! I am SUPER excited to move onto this story (I think some of yall may have noticed before). We've already seen a glimpse of what Amy thinks of the Time Lords and how they see her, specifically Renata. Their relationship will be a little more complicated because of Ren's drive to maintain the rules buuuut we'll see how it goes ;)</p><p><strong>P.S</strong> As always, I have a tumblr account dedicated to my fanfic works! It's a place where anyone can comment about a story or even just talk to me! I often drop aesthetic work belonging to my stories too! Feel free to check it out, my URL is "<strong>saiilorstars</strong>"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Doctor and the Vortex Butterfly</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Renata and the Doctor have 20 minutes to save the world with absolutely no equipment. It's a time where they each have to show the world who they are, although Renata is surprised that the world may already know her. In the end, when they're alone, they finally get to speak the words on their minds.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Twelve years.</p><p><em>Twelve years</em> had passed by for Amelia Pond. The more Renata thought about it, the more terrible she felt. She made a promise to that little girl that it would only take them 5 minutes to come back to her.</p><p>"O...kay…" Amelia pushed her orangey hair behind her shoulders. "You don't...you don't have to cry or anything…"</p><p>"It's been 12 years," Renata bit her lower lip, her eyes shining with genuine tears. "I have never been <em>that</em> late."</p><p>"It's true, she's never been late for anything in her life," the Doctor agreed. Of course Renata would feel a massive amount of guilt for something that was truly an accident. He felt guilty too but he wouldn't beat himself up over it, not when it hadn't been in his control. "And you know what? You hit me with a cricket bat."</p><p>Amelia rolled her eyes and continued to walk away. "12 years!"</p><p>The Doctor grabbed Renata's hand and followed after Amelia. "A cricket bat!"</p><p>Amelia scoffed. He thought that was bad? He only got a blip of the anger she had simmered for 12 years. "12 years and four psychiatrists."</p><p>"Four?" Renata gave her a strange look, making Amelia feel somewhat conscious about the reason behind the number.</p><p>"...I kept biting them."</p><p>"Why?"</p><p>"They said you weren't real!"</p><p>"And you thought biting them was the appropriate solution!?"</p><p>"Hey!" Amelia only stopped to point at Renata, though the abruptness nearly made her poke an eye out. "Twelve years!"</p><p>
  <em>'Prisoner Zero will vacate the human residence or the human residence will be incinerated.'</em>
</p><p>They had made it to a small park in the town and now the message was blaring at them through an ice cream truck.</p><p>"No, no, no, come on…what? We're being staked out by an ice-cream van?" Amelia frowned at the perfectly normal ice cream van she visited all the time. They could not be related to anything alien.</p><p>"What's that!?" the Doctor marched over to the van where the vendor was hitting the radio the message was coming out from. "Why are you playing that?"</p><p>"It's supposed to be Claire De Lune!"</p><p>"Stop hitting it," Renata made a face as she took the radio from him, though not a second later the Doctor had snatched it out of her hands. He missed her brief glare as he listened to the message closer.</p><p>
  <em>'Prisoner Zero will vacate the human residence or the human residence will be incinerated. Repeat, Prisoner Zero will vacate the human residence or the human residence will be incinerated.'</em>
</p><p>He would then notice the same message broadcasting in a jogger's mp3 player and then from a few cellphones. Little by little, the message had reached everyone via technology.</p><p>"Doctor, what's happening?" Amelia saw everyone's confused faces as they tried making sense about why their technology had stopped working. Instead of answering, the Doctor raced towards the nearest house.</p><p>"Doctor!" Renata called for him as she followed, though when he leaped over a white fence she refused to do the same. "Honestly — there's a <em>door</em>!"</p><p>Amelia zipped by and took Renata by the arm towards the front of the house. When they reached the house, they found the Doctor had already made himself comfortable by surfing through the television channels.</p><p>An elderly woman sat on the couch and was watching him go through every channel. "I was just about to phone. It's on every channel." She smiled upon seeing Amelia. "Hello, Amy, dear. Are you a policewoman now?"</p><p>Amelia unconsciously tugged on her skirt. "Well, sometimes."</p><p>"I thought you were a nurse."</p><p>"I can be a nurse."</p><p>"Or, actually, a nun."</p><p>"People like to kiss nuns? At parties? Why are humans so weird?" Renata crinkled her nose at the last bit. Amelia jabbed her elbow into Renata's side, making it clear that she didn't want to hear anymore of those questions.</p><p>"Amy, who are your friends?" the elder woman asked after studying the Doctor and Renata. She was sure she'd never seen them before.</p><p>"Who's Amy?" the Doctor looked away from the TV screen to see the elder woman looking at Amelia. "You were Amelia."</p><p>"Yeah, and now I'm Amy." Amy Pond was a huge step up from the little girl who'd been picked on nonstop because of who she believed in.</p><p>"Amelia Pond—that was a great name," Renata was gazing at Amy sadly, wondering if the name change had also been a result from their tardiness.</p><p>Amy brushed them both off with a roll of her eyes. "Bit fairy tale."</p><p>The elder woman had slightly pulled the Doctor back to see his face. "I know you, don't I? I've seen you somewhere before."</p><p>The Doctor shook his head. "Not me. Brand-new face…" He moved his face just to make a point. "First time on."</p><p>"You look like a child, stop that," Renata said, though she was smiling from amusement.</p><p>He smirked. "Yeah? Make me."</p><p>Renata froze for a mere second before a blush overtook her face. Oh, this him was going to be a <em>huge</em> flirt and far bolder. She didn't know that was possible. How she would get used to it, she had no idea.</p><p>"Why is that on the TV too?" Amy unknowingly pulled Renata out of her thoughts. She had moved around the living room to see the television. The same message was broadcasting from there too.</p><p>The Doctor left the television and went for a radio on a window table. With the sonic's help, he heard the same message there too but in different languages. "OK, so it's everywhere, in every language. They're broadcasting to the whole world." He put the radio down and opened up the window, sticking his head out to look up at the sky.</p><p>"What's up there?" Amy stepped towards him but at the last moment decided against it. What if there was some alien about to shoot them? "What are you looking for?"</p><p>The Doctor hadn't heard her questions as he was making his own calculations. Eventually, he shut the window and turned back to the room. "Okay, planet this size, two poles, your basic molten core...they're going to need a 40% fission blast."</p><p>A young man with a computer bag around his shoulders walked into the house and was of course confused to find to strangers in his home. The Doctor barely paid him attention but did acknowledge him in a rather odd manner.</p><p>"But they'll have to power up first, won't they?" He had walked up to the man who was far taller than him. Despite this, the man only blinked at the Doctor while he rambled on. "So assuming a medium-sized starship, that's 20 minutes. What do you think, 20 minutes?" the Doctor had to stand on his very tippy toes just to see the man eye to eye. "Yeah, 20 minutes. We've got 20 minutes."</p><p>"20 minutes to what?" Amy had done her best to follow everything the Doctor had said but she felt like it hadn't even been said in proper English!</p><p>Realization struck the young man suddenly. "Are you the Doctor?"</p><p>At that question, the elder woman finally got it as well. "Oh, he is, isn't he? He's the Doctor!"</p><p>Renata ignored the hullabaloo as she crossed the room to take the Doctor's arm and turn him to her. "We've got 20 minutes and zero contacts right now."</p><p>"Well, it's like you said, hasn't ever stopped us before," he smiled at her.</p><p>"Yes, but I meant <em>you</em>!" <em>He</em> was the one who always did the big, unexpected things that would solve everything. She was just along for the ride.</p><p>"I can't believe it, Amy, you were telling the truth," the elder woman was still laughing away on the couch, much to Amy's embarrassment. "It's the Raggedy Doctor. All those cartoons you did when you were little. The Raggedy Doctor, it's him."</p><p>"And that's the Butterfly Mother!" the young man pointed at Renata, now getting Renata's attention. "Never mind the Mother of Dragons - you're the Mother of Butterflies!"</p><p>"The <em>what?"</em> Renata unconsciously gripped the Doctor's arm. She flipped her head back to him. "He called me the what?"</p><p>"Fitting name," the Doctor said in bemusement. He took a few strands of her dark hair out of her face then bopped her nose. He headed back for the television that now had the same huge eye Amy once saw in her bedroom. "They're not talking about your house, they're talking about the planet. Somewhere up there, there's a spaceship and it's going to incinerate the planet. 20 minutes to the end of the world."</p><p>Amy nearly keeled over.</p><p>~0~</p><p>The Doctor led the way back to the town's park hopes of finding something a bit more useful than a normal house. Renata was right, they had no contacts right now and they didn't have time to waste!</p><p>"What is this place? Where are we?" he asked after making it back to the rather boring, quiet park.</p><p>"Leadworth," Any said, but she doubted either of them would recognize such a quaint town. She wouldn't blame them.</p><p>"Where's the rest of it?"</p><p>Yup, there it was. Any rolled her eyes. "This is it!"</p><p>"I like it," Renata said but Amy wasn't sure if she was saying it to be nice or if she actually meant it. Renata wasn't lying, though. She looked around the small town with a smile. It seemed so peaceful and it seemed like everyone would know everyone. She could see little shops lining the streets around the park and she had no doubt that most of them were owned by the very residents of the town. "Very homey."</p><p>"That's a word for it," Amy let her eyebrows raise upwards. She'd almost forgotten how Renata was, and even then she wasn't that sure because she'd only met Renata for like 2 hours! But at first glance, the Time Lady had seemed like a woman who could fit perfectly with one of those family shows from the olden days. Somebody very proper.</p><p>"Is there an airport?" the Doctor asked after making his own conclusions of the town.</p><p>"No."</p><p>"A nuclear power station?"</p><p>"Uh, no."</p><p>"Even a little one?"</p><p>Amy's expression asked him why they would have something like that in a small town. "No!"</p><p>"Nearest city?"</p><p>"Gloucester, half an hour by car."</p><p>"That's too long even if we called in UNIT," Renata sighed. "20 minutes!"</p><p>"Do we have a car?" the Doctor expended his last try, but once again Amy told him no. "Well, that's good! Fantastic, that is. 20 minutes to save the world and I've got a post office. And it's shut! <em>What</em> is that?" He had found a small pond to the left of the park and for some reason stormed towards it.</p><p>Amy couldn't understand why that would suddenly be so interesting and after checking for Renata's reaction, Amy concluded she wasn't alone. "It's a duck pond."</p><p>The Doctor had leaned very close to the pond that Renata had to grab his arm in case he lost his balance. "Why aren't there any ducks?"</p><p>"I don't know. There's never any ducks."</p><p>"Then how do you know it's a duck pond?" Renata was the one to ask this time. That bit was curious. Why name something a specific way if it didn't make sense?</p><p>Amy didn't see it that way. She folded her arms with exasperation. "It just is. Is it important, the duck pond?"</p><p>The Doctor yelped and nearly fell into the pond had Renata been holding onto his arm. She used his grip on his arm to help him sit on the ground. "I'm not ready, I'm not done yet," he groaned and clutched his chest. Like last time, he needed some time to calm his body through the regeneration process, but he was on the clock!</p><p>Renata wanted to do something to help him stand but a process like this truly was individual. She could only stand by him. She scooted closer to him, putting her hand over his hand that clutched his chest. "I'm here," she said what she thought would be useless for him but he leaned on her side for comfort. Renata was surprised but she welcomed it fast.</p><p>Suddenly, the sky started darkening up and Amy knew that it couldn't be night time already. "What's happening? Why's the sky getting dark?"</p><p>Renata and the Doctor looked up at the sky, not even having to shield their eyes from the sky. There was no sun anymore, it was behind a grey shade. It only lasted for a few seconds before the day returned to normal.</p><p>"So what's wrong with the sun?" Amy frowned and looked down at the pair on the ground.</p><p>"Nothing. You're looking at it through a force-field," the Doctor said. Renata was helping him stand up. "They've sealed off your upper atmosphere, now they're getting ready to boil the planet."</p><p>Renata sighed loudly when she noticed all the humans in the park were taking pictures and videos of the sky instead of doing the sensible thing and running home. "Oh, why are humans so…" she was about to finish the sentence with the word '<em>stupid'</em> but she caught herself in time after glancing at Amy staring at the sky. "They should be home instead of going crazy on their phones."</p><p>"This isn't real, is it? This is some kind of big wind-up," Amy decided it was the only option that didn't make her feel scared out of her mind. She wouldn't give the sky another glance.</p><p>"Why would we wind you up?" the Doctor gave her a strange, almost offended glance.</p><p>"You told me you had a time machine."</p><p>"And you believed us."</p><p>"Then I grew up."</p><p>"Oh, you never want to do that," the Doctor gave a shake of his head and if he was going to add on then Renata didn't allow him. She had covered his mouth and took over in the conversation.</p><p>"It's nice to grow up but it doesn't mean you have to stop believing," Renata said. "Plus, I don't lie—" she winced at herself. That wasn't true and she knew it. "Well, I try not to lie <em>anymore."</em></p><p>The Doctor pushed Renata's hand off his mouth. "Wait, hang on!" He abruptly flapped his arms so that he almost smacked Renata's head. She threw him a glare for such a messy movement but he was none the wiser. "I missed it!" He smacked his forehead enough to make Renata wonder if it would leave a mark on his skin. "I saw it and I missed it." And another smack!</p><p>Renata seized his hand and forced it to his side. "Stop that! Seriously, cricket bat and two smacks? Should I just help along and hit you too!?"</p><p>"I saw something!" he insisted and because he did, Renata grabbed his other hand in case he got the same idea.</p><p>"Then just tell us before you put yourself into a coma!"</p><p>The Doctor shut his eyes and stayed silent. There was something he knew that he missed and he just needed to think about it again. Humans were everywhere in the park, taking pictures…</p><p>There was a woman near the phone box looking up. Parents by the swing-set snapping pictures of the sky. And one nurse who following Amy's steps. His phone was on another person, never the sky.</p><p>Renata slowly let go of his hands when she was sure that he wasn't in danger of himself. She checked the clock on a nearby building and saw their time was getting shorter. Uh, Doctor, our 20 minutes?"</p><p>"20 minutes, the planet burns," the Doctor opened his eyes and looked at Amy. "Run to your loved ones and say goodbye, or stay and help me."</p><p>Amy held his stare with an expression that easily switched from stoic to anger. "No!"</p><p>That wasn't the answer that he was expecting. "I'm sorry?"</p><p>"No!" Amy grabbed him by the tie, ignoring his and Renata's cries, as she dragged the Doctor to a nearby car.</p><p>"Amy, are you out of your mind!?" Renata shouted in vain at the ginger.</p><p>Amy had slammed the Doctor's tie into the car door and made sure it stayed locked with the remote.</p><p>"Amy, I am going to need my car back," the driver of the car told her rather nervously since she looked angry as hell.</p><p>"Yes, in a bit. Now go and have coffee," Amy's response came out sharply but she was always looking at the Doctor.</p><p>"Amy, this is ridiculous!" the Doctor yelled at her but she wasn't budging.</p><p>"Who are you?" Amy yelled right back at him.</p><p>"You know who I am!"</p><p>"No, really, who are you?" Amy threw the question out for him and Renata as well.</p><p>"Oh for God's sake," Renata shook her head. "Amy, the world's about to end in 20 minutes and there are some people we are especially interested in saving!" She was sure that somewhere her best friend, Martha Jones, was going crazy trying to figure out a way to help UNIT. Captain Jack, if he was back on Earth, would surely be doing the same. And Donna? Renata's heart ached for their lost friend. She must be terrified out of her mind.</p><p>"Amy, catch!" the Doctor tossed an apple to Amy. She barely caught it but when she did, she was mighty confused to find the apple in her palm. "I'm the Doctor, that's Renata. We're time travelers. Everything we told you 12 years ago is true. We're real. What's happening in the sky is real, and if you don't let me go now, everything you've ever known is over."</p><p>Amy wouldn't look at the apple yet. She leveled the Doctor's gaze. "I don't believe you."</p><p>"Amy, please," Renata sighed as she moved beside the woman. "We didn't lie. We got it wrong, yes, but we didn't lie. Check the apple." Amy gazed at the apple briefly then back to Renata. The Time Lady sighed again. "I meant turn it over."</p><p>With eyebrows slightly furrowed, Amy brought the apple back to her eyes. She turned it over and found the butterfly carving she first saw on it when she was seven. It was still fresh as the day Renata gave it to her.</p><p>"We try to get it right," Renata insisted in a low whisper. "Please?"</p><p>Amy's eyes flickered to the Doctor who seemed just as hopeful as Renata that she would believe them. Renata's gaze was more intense than the Doctor's but at the same time, it compelled Amy to feel like everything would be okay. She didn't know <em>why</em> Renata had such a look but it made Amy shift.</p><p>"Fine, what do we do?" Amy unlocked the car door and the Doctor quickly scrambled away from it.</p><p>"Stop that nurse!" He ran straight towards the nurse in the park. "The sun's going out, and you're photographing a man and a dog. Why?"</p><p>The nurse was stunned to have his phone snatched, even more so when he saw Amy behind the strange man and beside a woman he didn't know. "Amy?"</p><p>"Hi! Oh, this is Rory, he's a... friend," Amy nervously looked between the aliens and completely missed Rory's indignant huff.</p><p>"Boyfriend!"</p><p>"Kind of boyfriend!"</p><p>"Amy!"</p><p>"I'm confused, how do you have a 'kind of' boyfriend?" Renata genuinely wanted to know the answer because up until now she had never heard the term. Amy, however, didn't seem interested in explaining.</p><p>The Doctor gave Rory a not-so-gentle shake from the shoulders. "Man and dog, why?"</p><p>It was then that Rory realized why Amy was around these strangers. He looked the Doctor over, especially the ruggedness of his clothes. "Oh, my God, it's him! The doctor. The Raggedy Doctor!" His eyes flickered to Renata and the flower dress on her. "You're the Mother of Butterflies!"</p><p>"Yeah, they came back," Amy sighed, trying her best not to look so embarrassed.</p><p>"But they were a story. It was a game!"</p><p>The Doctor grabbed Rory by the shirt, pulling him face to face. "Man and dog<em>—why?</em> Tell me now!"</p><p>Rory blinked with the harsh pull but he answered nonetheless. "Sorry. Because he can't be there. Because he's…"</p><p>"...in a hospital, in a coma," they ended up speaking in unison.</p><p>Rory wasn't sure if he should be relieved that somebody finally believed him on the matter, or if he should be afraid.</p><p>"Knew it. Multi-form, you see?" the Doctor let go of Rory and turned to the women. "Disguise itself as anything, but it needs a live feed, a psychic link with a living but dormant mind."</p><p>And at that moment, the creature - the man and dog - snarled at them.</p><p>"Prisoner Zero," Renata sucked in a breath.</p><p>Rory's eyes might as well have been dinner plates. He kept changing gazes between the man and dog then to Renata and Amy and finally to the Doctor. "What, there's a Prisoner Zero too?"</p><p>"Yes," Amy answered just before they heard an electrical buzzing in the sky.</p><p>Everyone looked up as a huge spaceship flew across the sky. It stopped right above the park and showcased its famous one eye that would swivel back and forth.</p><p>"What's it doing?" Rory asked, terrified.</p><p>The Doctor whipped out his sonic to point at the sky. "See, that ship up there is scanning this area for non-terrestrial technology. And nothing says non-terrestrial like a sonic screwdriver." He made a show of activating the sonic at the right moment and scared everyone even more when the street lights shattered, car alarms blared and sirens wailed.</p><p>Renata closed her eyes with a small sigh. That was one way to get everyone's attention. She did open her eyes when she heard a fire truck and the angry yells from firemen. They were chasing the truck that was running on its own.</p><p>"Oh, that was just going too far!" Renata turned to the Doctor, madly gesturing at the fire truck running down the street.</p><p>"I didn't mean to do <em>that</em>," the Doctor made a face and winced - as did everyone else - when they heard the truck crash.</p><p>Prisoner Zero barked at them but before it could move a step towards them, the Doctor redirected the sonic at a phone box nearby and made it explode. A few seconds later, the sonic itself sparked and fizzled between his fingers. The Doctor yelped and threw the sonic to the ground.</p><p>"No, no, no, don't do that!"</p><p>"Oh no," Renata watched the ship take leave without even eyeing Prisoner Zero.</p><p>"No, come back, he's here! Come back!" the Doctor called after the ship in vain. "He's here, Prisoner Zero is here. Come back, he's here! Prisoner Zero is…"</p><p>"Not so much anymore," Renata lowered his flapping arms and pointed at Prisoner Zero who was turning into pure mist.</p><p>"It just went down the drain…" Amy made a face as they all watched the remnants of the creature disappear through the ground.</p><p>"Well, of course it did," the Doctor groaned. They'd been so close and like always...so far.</p><p>"Well, what do we do now?"</p><p>"It's hiding in human form. We need to drive it into the open. No TARDIS, no screwdriver, 17 minutes! Come on, think. Think!"</p><p>"Stop!" Renata grabbed his hand just inches from his forehead. "Seriously," she lowered it between them. "Please don't hit yourself." They needed his mind completely unharmed for what was to come.</p><p>"So that thing, <em>that </em>hid in my house for 12 years?" Amy finally tore her gaze from the drain.</p><p>"Multi-forms can live for millennia. 12 years is a pit-stop," the Doctor explained as he took his hand back from Renata, though he had to tug twice for her to let him go.</p><p>"So how come you two show up again on the same day that lot does? The same minute?"</p><p>"Well, it's not our fault," Renata argued weakly as she brought her arms over her chest. "Yes, they followed us to get to him but...I mean...one of these days they were bound to come anyways."</p><p>"What?" Rory blinked at her.</p><p>"Now, sport, give me your phone," the Doctor held his hand out for Rory's cellphone, but Rory was too out of it to notice on the first try.</p><p>"How can they be real?" Rory was looking specifically at Amy, wondering how the hell she was so calm with everything that was going on. "They were never real."</p><p>The Doctor grew impatient and waved his hand in front of Rory's face. "Phone, now, give me!"</p><p>Rory had no idea what he wanted from it but he handed his phone over and continued going off. "They were just a game. We were kids. You made me dress up as him!"</p><p>Renata looked between the two humans with bemusement. "Really?"</p><p>Amy felt her face reddened and before Rory could say what she dressed up as, she asked the Doctor what he was looking for.</p><p>"These aren't coma patients; they're all the multi-form. Eight comas, eight disguises for Prisoner Zero!"</p><p>"But he had a dog, though. There's a dog in a coma?"</p><p>"The coma patient dreams he's walking a dog, Prisoner Zero gets a dog. Laptop! Your friend, what was his name? Not him—" the Doctor jerked a thumb at Rory, missing Rory's indignant huff, "—the good-looking one!"</p><p>"He doesn't mean that," Renata tried stepping in but Amy made it worse.</p><p>"Jeff?" she asked right on the spot.</p><p>"Oh, thanks!" Rory exclaimed.</p><p>"Doesn't mean it," Renata tried again with a nervous smile.</p><p>"He had a laptop in his bag, a laptop. Big bag, big laptop, I need Jeff's laptop!" the Doctor went on without ever noticing his rudeness. "You two—" he said for Amy and Rory, "—get to the hospital, get everyone out, clear the whole floor. Phone me when you're done." He promptly reached over for Renata's hand and yanked her away.</p><p>They returned to Jeff's home, barging inside without so much of a knock. Renata couldn't stand for that, no matter how much she tried. She skidded to a stop in the living room where Jeff's grandmother sat. "Really sorry about that."</p><p>"Hey!" Jeff cried from his room.</p><p>Renata jumped and nervously smiled at the grandmother again. "Sorry!" She ran into the room and saw the Doctor basically fighting Jeff for the laptop. "Oh Doctor, this is too much even for you!"</p><p>The Doctor won the fight and took a seat at the edge of the bed, patting the empty spot beside him. "C'mon—blimey!" He motioned Renata to stay right where she was. "Get a girlfriend, Jeff."</p><p>The door behind Renata opened up to let the grandmother in. "What are you doing?" she curiously asked the trio.</p><p>"The sun's gone wibbly, so right now, somewhere out there, there's going to be a big video conference call!" the Doctor explained in a rush while he madly typed on the laptop. "All the experts in the world panicking at once, and do you know what they need? Me."</p><p>"Being so modest, aren't we?" Renata smiled and got a smirk in return. She walked over to the bed and sat next to him just as his callers answered.</p><p>"Ah, and here they all are. All the big boys. NASA, Jodrell Bank, Tokyo Space Centre, Patrick Moore!"</p><p>"Ooh, I like Patrick Moore," Jeff's grandmother might have inched a few steps towards them.</p><p>Renata chuckled while the Doctor promised to get her his number.</p><p>"You can't just hack in on a call like that!" Jeff exclaimed as he got off his bed.</p><p>"Oh trust me, this isn't even a quarter of what he can do," Renata shook her head. She had stories beyond his dreams about the things the Doctor could do.</p><p>The Doctor was more than ready with his psychic paper to answer the initial questions of who he was and what he wanted. He had about fifteen minutes left!</p><p>"Hello. I know, you should switch me off. But before you do, watch this!" he dropped his psychic paper on Renata's lap then started to type again. "Fermat's Theorem, the proof, and I mean the real one, never seen before. Poor old Fermat, got killed in a duel before he could write it down. My fault, I slept in. Oh, and here's an oldie but a goodie - why electrons have mass. And a personal favorite of mine, faster-than-light travel with two diagrams and a joke. Look at your screens. Whoever I am, I'm a <em>genius</em>. Look at the sun. You need all the help you can get. Fellas, pay attention!" The Doctor knew he had them on his hook. He glanced at Renata just to make sure they were on the same page and found her staring at him instead. Initially, he was confused why she was smiling like...<em>that</em>. It was familiar but it took him a few seconds to remember when she smiled like that. In his defense, the last time she had a smile like that was in her first incarnation and she had a face that went red incredibly easily, even easier than this current one.</p><p>She was enthralled with him. She leaned close to him, widening her smile. She'd forgotten what it felt like to be so close to him while he did <em>that</em>. Whenever the Doctor got into his '<em>I'm a genius</em>' mode, Renata was unashamedly attracted to him. He was just so incredibly intelligent. Renata honestly thought he was the smartest man alive. It wasn't news for her, not since the first time she saw it back on Gallifrey, but it was one thing knowing it and <em>seeing </em>it. She <em>loved</em> seeing it.</p><p>There was a tingle that started down her spine that was soon followed by the dozens of butterflies in her stomach (ironically). It made her puddy in his arms. Her last incarnation had been too worried about the Doctor finding out who she was that she barely had moments to really let herself <em>feel</em> things for him again. The little she allowed was always pushed away to the deepest end of her mind and hearts. And when the Doctor had found out who she was, she'd fallen ill. She was dying and she couldn't think about anything else other than saying goodbye. She didn't exactly know what they were right now, but she wouldn't fight it this time. There was a warmth in her body that brought her closer to the Doctor and she would finally let it be.</p><p>"I forgot you could do that," she said breathlessly, saving something else she wanted to do for later.</p><p>The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her but she didn't say anymore. His gaze lowered to her lips since she was biting her lower lip pretty hard. "Interesting…" He took notes for later when they weren't in the middle of saving the world. From now on, he would be using anything at his advantage.</p><p>~ 0 ~</p><p>Within five minutes, the Doctor had concocted a whole plan for the humans to follow. He'd gone back and forth between the laptop and Rory's cellphone whilst talking at light-speed to the humans on video call.</p><p>"Sir, what <em>are</em> you doing?" one of the men from the computer screen asked after the Doctor spent a significant amount of time on the cellphone.</p><p>"I'm writing a computer virus. Very clever, super-fast, and a tiny bit alive, but don't let on. Why am I writing it on a phone?" the Doctor raised a finger for a few seconds. "Never mind, you'll find out. OK, I'm sending this to all your computers. Get everyone who works for you sending this everywhere. Email, text, Facebook, Bebo, Twitter, radar dish - whatever you've got. Any questions?"</p><p>"Who was your lady friend?"</p><p>The Doctor deadpanned the man on the screen. "Patrick, behave!"</p><p>Renata laughed softly beside him while Jeff's grandmother beamed.</p><p>"What does this virus do?" another man inquired.</p><p>"It's a reset command, that's all. It resets counters, it gets in the wifi and resets every counter it can find. Clocks, calendars, anything with a chip will default at zero at exactly the same time. But, yeah, I could be lying, why should you trust me? I'll let my best man explain." The Doctor waited for Jeff to cut in but for some reason the human stayed silent and away from them.</p><p>Renata raised an eyebrow at Jeff. "Uh, Jeff, that would be <em>you."</em></p><p>Jeff genuinely looked confused to learn that. "What?"</p><p>The Doctor had closed the laptop but Renata made a motion for him to stay put. She got up from the bed and moved over to Jeff. "Listen I know you're scared and I honestly would be a little concerned if you weren't but this is your <em>your</em> moment. It's sort of like, uh, this is a moment where you're trying to get investors. Right?"</p><p>"Uh...not...sure if that's the way I'd put it," Jeff said slowly, glancing at the Doctor and his grandmother for some clarification.</p><p>The Doctor seemed to be smiling but not at him. He was nodding at Renata, encouraging her to keep going. It was a sight watching her try to relate to humans. At least now she was <em>trying.</em> Her last incarnation, while helpful, didn't seem very interested in that. She'd wanted to fix the problem and then move on without making much of an attempt to get to know humans. The only time she expressed interest was the day she met Gabby. Though she was a bit rocky...she'd get it with time.</p><p>Renata was aware that her comparison didn't entirely fit with the current situation so she tried re-wording it. "I used to be somebody who would have to persuade people to invest in my foundation, so I'd have to put myself out there and give one hell of a show. That's what you need to do right now and afterwards those guys—" she made a nod at the laptop, "—will be offering you any job you want."</p><p>"How do I get them to do that?" Jeff turned another glance on the laptop, now more interested in the idea.</p><p>Renata put her hands on his shoulders and fixated a smile on the man. "You have to be magnificent. You have to make them trust you and get them working. Old news to me."</p><p>"But I've never done that…"</p><p>"Put yourself out there!" she exclaimed and turned him for the Doctor and the laptop. "This is when you fly. Today's the day you save the world."</p><p>"But why me?" Jeff asked as the Doctor sat him down on the bed and handed him his laptop.</p><p>"It's your bedroom!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Now go, go, go!" He grabbed Renata's arm and headed out the room, though stopped abruptly and turned back. "Oh, and delete your internet history!"</p><p>Renata raised an eyebrow at him when he came out of the room again. "What?"</p><p>"Nothing. Oh, and great job back there!" he pulled down the living room and out the door.</p><p>"For what? All I did was just talk!" Renata laughed out of confusion.</p><p>"Words mean everything!" the Doctor turned abruptly once they were out on the street again, making Renata bump into him.</p><p>"You certainly did that as well back there," Renata said and suddenly found her lower lip was a chewing gum. "I just...helped a bit in the end."</p><p>"You were amazing," the Doctor stepped closer to her. He couldn't help but let his gaze linger on her lips.</p><p>"Uuh...Amelia - I mean Amy, she-she's probably waiting…" Renata nervously moved around him and studied the street for any way to get around. Alright, maybe her body needed a bit more time to adjust her...feelings. She couldn't possibly revert back to her school-girl ways from her first incarnation. "We need to find a way to get to the hospital."</p><p>The Doctor rejoined her and studied the nearly empty sidewalk. "I...may have an idea…"</p><p>Renata turned her head at him to see the wide smirk on his face. "Ah, so that'll be your mischievous face. Duly noted."</p><p>The Doctor once again yanked her down the street.</p><p>~ 0 ~</p><p>When Amy called them, they were nearly to the hospital. Renata refused to accept that stealing the fire truck had been a good idea.</p><p>"It was irresponsible!"</p><p>The Doctor didn't seem to agree as he happily drove down the road. "Oh, c'mon, Gabby would have loved this!"</p><p>"Oh sure, teach her to steal why don't you!?"</p><p>"I'm not stealing, I'm borrowing! Plus, look!" he reached for a specific button beside the wheel and turned on the fire engine. "Yeah!"</p><p>Renata rolled her eyes and looked out the window, but she found it was hard not to crack a smile. She knew he was right: Gabby would love this bit.</p><p>A short moment later, Amy called them again only this time she was more distressed. Prisoner Zero had found them in the building and had chased her and Rory into a coma ward.</p><p>"Listen, which window are you?" the Doctor asked but because of the fire engine, Amy hadn't heard.</p><p>"Oh for God's sake!" Renata reached over to turn them off. "Amy, which window are you!?"</p><p>"First floor on the left, fourth from the end!" Amy managed to answer before screaming.</p><p>"Amy!?" the two aliens simultaneously called but they only heard warbled voices, one belonging to neither her nor Rory.</p><p>"It must be Prisoner Zero," Renata ended the call. "Now what?"</p><p>"We do what every human does: we text!"</p><p>"Text?" Renata crinkled her nose. "A Time Lady does not...<em>text."</em></p><p>The Doctor laughed. "Just tell her to duck!"</p><p>Renata wasn't even sure how to do such a thing. She never actually paid attention to Gabby when she tried giving her lessons back on Zhe's gallery. It'd been one of the many things Gabby would try to distract her with while she battled her illness. Since Martha liked to call every now and then, Gabby thought it was a good idea to learn to text. Plus, she thought it was fairly ridiculous that such an intelligent Time Lady didn't know how to do such a basic task.</p><p>The Doctor had successfully crashed the right hospital window so that its ladder shattered the glass of it. "Out! Out! Go!" he tried ushering Renata to the ladder first but she wasn't having it.</p><p>"I'm wearing a dress!" she argued, motioning him to take the lead.</p><p>"Oi! I'm not like that!"</p><p>"Just go!"</p><p>The Doctor groaned but went ahead first. He wouldn't ever be like <em>that</em> but she was overly shy anyways. Why argue over something so petty? When the two climbed into the coma ward, they found Amy and Rory standing in the middle of the room while a woman with two little girls stood at the entrance.</p><p>"Right! Hello! Are we late?" the Doctor didn't exactly wait for the answer as he went on. "No, three minutes to go. So still time!"</p><p>"Time for what, Time Lord?" the woman titled her head.</p><p>"Oh, so you know things," Renata snapped. "Doesn't mean it'll get you out of this. Take your disguise off and save these humans from further despair."</p><p>"Not happening," Prisoner Zero smiled sarcastically. "The Atraxi will kill me this time. If I am to die, let there be fire."</p><p>"OK. You came to this world by opening a crack in space and time. Do it again - just leave!" the Doctor exclaimed. At this point, he would take anything because time was now running on 2 minutes.</p><p>"I did not open the crack."</p><p>"Well somebody did and I'm willing to bet we know who it was," Renata mumbled so that only the Doctor could hear. "The Master and Rassilon."</p><p>Fair guess, the Doctor thought.</p><p>But Prisoner Zero seemed to know more than what they thought. "The cracks in the skin of the universe - don't you know where they came from?" A great big smirk spread across the woman's face, teasing the pair for their lack of knowledge. "You don't, do you?"</p><p>The little girls started laughing as they chanted, "The Doctor in the TARDIS doesn't know. The Vortex Butterfly doesn't even know!"</p><p>Renata's eyebrows furrowed together at the name once used at her 'rebirth' on the Crucible. She thought after the Daleks and the Reality Bomb, she'd never hear that name again. "Hold on—"</p><p>"Doesn't know, doesn't know!" the girls laughed for another minute before the woman spoke again, much more serious.</p><p>"The universe is cracked. The Pandorica will open. Silence will fall."</p><p>The Doctor lost interest when they heard a clicking noise. His eyes flickered to the clock on the wall flashing '0:00' at them. "And we're off! Look at that. Look at that! Yeah, I know, just a clock, whatever. But do you know what's happening right now? In one little bedroom, my team is working. Jeff and the world. And do you know what they're doing? They're spreading the word all over the world, quantum fast. The word is out. And do you know what the word is? The word is zero. Now, me, if I was up in the sky in a battleship, monitoring all Earth communications, I'd take that as a hint. And if I had a whole battle fleet surrounding the planet, I'd be able track a simple old computer virus to its source in, what, under a minute?" the Doctor pulled out Rory's cell phone from his pocket, giving it a triumphant wave in the air. "The source, by the way, is right here. Oh! And I think they just found us!"</p><p>"The Atraxi are limited," Prisoner Zero said, remaining totally calm. "While I'm in this form, they'll still be unable to detect me. They've tracked a phone, not me."</p><p>"Sorry, do you think we're stupid?" Renata made a face, almost offended. "Of course we planned for that - rather Rory planned for that." She glanced back at the man in question who even pointing at himself to confirm she meant him. Renata chuckled. "Well done Rory."</p><p>The Doctor once again waved the phone in the air. "Do you know what this phone is full of? Pictures of you. Every form you've learned to take, right here. Oh, and being uploaded about now. And the final score is - no TARDIS, no screwdriver - two minutes to spare!" He cheered with his arms out, spinning around. "Who da man?"</p><p>Renata made a face at him, not even needing to say it for him to know she begged him never to do that again. She reached over to lower his arms to his sides. "Gabriella would've laughed at you."</p><p>"Yeah, she would've," he mumbled and thanked the Gods that Gabby wasn't around right now.</p><p>"Then I shall take a new form," Prisoner Zero said smugly.</p><p>"Please," Renata scoffed. "It takes months to form that kind of psychic link."</p><p>"And I've had years."</p><p>A bright light took over the woman's body at the same time Amy collapsed to the floor.</p><p>"Amy?" the Doctor called as he and Renata rushed to the woman. "You've got to hold on. Amy! Don't sleep! You've got to stay awake, please!"</p><p>"You need to let her go!" Renata glanced back at Prisoner Zero only to see a much more different disguise. "Oh dear."</p><p>"Doctor?" Rory blinked fast once he saw the new disguise.</p><p>The Doctor followed their gaze to see Prisoner Zero had turned into a young man. "Well, that's rubbish. Who's that supposed to be?"</p><p>Rory threw him an incredulous look."It's <em>you!"</em></p><p>"Me?" the Doctor made a face and quickly glanced at Renata."Is that what I look like?" She gave him the confirming nod.</p><p>"You mean you don't know!?" Rory almost shouted with exasperation. How could he not know what he looked like!? What kind of crazy was that!?</p><p>"It's been a busy day," Renata supplied with the briefest explanation.</p><p>"Why me, though?" the Doctor asked with genuine confusion. "You're linked with her. Why are you copying me?"</p><p>"I'm not," Prisoner Zero answered but it hadn't been through the Doctor's mouth. Amy's seven year old self moved from behind him. "Poor Amy Pond. Still such a child inside. Dreaming of the magic Doctor she knows will return to save her. What a disappointment you've been."</p><p>"Oh hey that's not fair!: Renata scowled. "And you're one to talk considering you're a convict!"</p><p>"No, no," the Doctor gazed down at Amy. There was something else he was missing again. She could have dreamed of anything right now, probably something happier than what the situation was, but she chose him. "Oh! She's dreaming about me cos she can hear me!" he carefully cupped her face and called to her. "Amy, don't just hear me, listen. Remember the room, the room in your house you couldn't see? Remember you went inside. We tried to stop, but you did. You went in the room. You went inside. Amy…dream about what you saw."</p><p>"No! No!" Prisoner Zero started to cry out as the shifting began once again. "No!"</p><p>"Well done Amy," Renata smiled proudly of the unconscious girl. "Bet you didn't see that coming, huh?"</p><p>Prisoner Zero was immediately captured with the shining light from the window.</p><p>'<em>Prisoner Zero is located. Prisoner Zero is restrained.'</em></p><p>"Silence, Doctor. Silence will fall," Prisoner Zero said his last words before disappearing.</p><p>"Oh <em>no</em>," Renata gritted her teeth with anger. "They are <em>not</em> going to pull <em>that</em> on us! I don't think so!" She swiped the cellphone from the Doctor's hand - he'd been about to use it again - and put her fingers to work. "You and Gabriella might just be proud of me right now!" She flashed the Doctor a quick little smile before returning her focus on the phone.</p><p>"The sun - it's back to normal, right?" Rory was relieved to the sky returning to normal through the window. And even better that Amy was waking up. "Amy? Are you OK? Are you with us?"</p><p>"What happened?" Amy asked slowly, still a bit hazed.</p><p>"They did it," Rory nodded to the pair who were suddenly very close to each other. Renata was still working the phone. "The Doctor and Renata did it!"</p><p>"Not quite yet," Renata called before asking the Doctor something in a hushed manner.</p><p>Amy and Rory both heard a '<em>Write in...make sure those numbers…'</em></p><p>"What are you doing?" Amy raised an eyebrow at them once she sat up.</p><p>"Tracking the signal back! And the Doctor's sort of filling in the gaps for me," Renata sent another quick smile at the Doctor. She knew her way around things as well but there was always a little something she hadn't come across yet. "And sorry in advance, Rory."</p><p>"For what?"</p><p>"The phone bill! Promise UNIT will reimburse you for that!" Renata winked at him before putting the phone against her ear. She cleared her throat and the next time she spoke her voice was no longer sweet and kind. It was hard and sharp. "This is Renata and you may not know me but that's okay because I know the Shadow Proclamation pretty well. Article 57, ring a bell?" She paused but of course there would be no response. "This is a fully established, level 5 planet, and you were going to burn it? The idea that you could get away with it is <em>laughable</em>! Get your sorry behinds back here <em>now</em> or so help me…" There was another pause she took, a brief one as she considered if she really wanted to say her next words. And she decided: Why the hell not? It didn't mean anything wrong because <em>she </em>wasn't bad. She wouldn't hurt people like other versions of her in parallel universes had. "You lot, back here now or you'll have the Vortex Butterfly on you. See you in 30 seconds and not a second more!" She promptly ended the call and tossed the phone to Rory. "Seriously, though, UNIT will reimburse you for that." She then faced the Doctor who was looking more or less fascinated with her.</p><p>He had never been more attracted to her than right now. She had just ordered an entire prison ward to come back - under a specific deadline - and she had a new authoritative voice that made him shudder. If things weren't such a crunch time, he might have kissed her there and then.</p><p>"You going to stand there or come help me put these people back in their spots?" Renata smirked. She wanted to believe she had made him feel exactly the way he had done to her earlier. "We gotta get to the roof!" She laughed and dragged him out of the room with her, leaving a mighty confused Rory and Amy behind.</p><p>"No, no, wait! We can't!" the Doctor stopped them down the hallway. Amy had scurried after them, leading Rory to do the same.</p><p>"Where are you going?" she asked the pair.</p><p>"To change!" the Doctor made a quick turn into a different hallway.</p><p>"What? Doctor!" Renata went after him with a groan. "I said 30 seconds! That went for all of you!"</p><p>"I'm quick, don't worry," he had found a changing room and was already searching through one rack. "If we're saving the world I'm going to need a decent shirt! Not fair you got your quick change!"</p><p>Renata looked down at her flower dress that, truthfully, could use a good wash now. It still smelled like chlorine water from the swimming pool mishap. Still, it would do just fine until she could get into the TARDIS. "Well, fine! Just hurry!"</p><p>"To hell with the raggedy. Time to put on a show!" he spun around trying to find something else in another rack.</p><p>"Sorry, I am so confused here," Rory rushed into the room with Amy. "You just summoned aliens back to Earth!"</p><p>"Yeah, never really done that before - quite a rush really!" Renata's face definitely said so. She giggled even, making the Doctor pause for a moment just as he was about to change shirts.</p><p>Rory didn't seem that happy about it. "But they're actual aliens! Deadly aliens, aliens of death and - now he's taking his clothes off!"</p><p>"Turn your back if it embarrasses you!"</p><p>"A door, Doctor! Seriously! Nothing bad happens if you use a <em>door</em>!"" Renata groaned as she turned away from him, ignoring the warmth in her face. She might have seen a bit of his back and that was enough to make her wonder what it might be like to press her hands against his skin.</p><p>"Amy, you're not going to turn around!?" Rory's incredulous question brought Renata out of her thoughts.</p><p>She blushed even more for realizing what she'd been thinking about and decided to put her attention on Amy. "Yeah, you are!" She turned the young woman around, shooting her a little look for trying that. What was Amy thinking!?</p><p>The group arrived on the rooftop in 27 seconds, but it was only because Renata forced the Doctor out before he could finalize his outfit. She compromised by letting him bring along a mess of ties around his neck. He'd choose on the way.</p><p>"On time, perfect," Renata spat at the waiting Atraxi ship at the end of the rooftop. Soon as she and the Doctor were in its vicinity, it scanned them.</p><p>"You are not of this world."</p><p>"What was your first clue?" Renata cocked her head to the side. "And the fact that we're not from Earth shouldn't be the reason you came back. You should come back because you did something <em>wrong.</em> You broke the law. Count your lucky stars I haven't phoned the Shadow Proclamation to shut you down."</p><p>"We took necessary measures," the Atraxi argued but only angered Renata more.</p><p>"No, you really didn't!"</p><p>"Why don't we think about it in this way?" the Doctor tossed a few ties over his shoulders, letting them hit Amy and Rory behind. "Is this world a threat to the Atraxi?" The Atraxi delayed the answer. "Well, come on. You're monitoring the whole planet. IS this world a threat?"</p><p>After projecting a series of holograms showing the Earth's history, the Atraxi finally answered. "No."</p><p>"Second question, are the peoples of this world guilty of any crime by the laws of the Atraxi?" Renata decided to add since she knew the answer would further prove their point.</p><p>"No."</p><p>"One more. Just one. Is this world protected? Because you're not the first lot to come here." The Doctor once more threw a few more ties behind him. He found one color that suited his fancy, all in the meanwhile the Atraxi went through the course of his enemies landing on Earth. "Oh, there have been so many! And what you've got to ask is...what happened to them?"</p><p>The Atraxi went through every incarnation of the Doctor as it found that he was responsible for ending every single battle.</p><p>Just as the Doctor finished putting on his new tie - a bow tie! - he noticed that at the end of the hologram, it showed Renata's previous incarnation but it had been no ordinary moment in her life. Her spectacle as the Vortex Butterfly on the Crucible had certainly gotten around because that's the moment the Atraxi chose to show.</p><p>Renata was astonished that they would include her. She'd only meant to call them back and scold them. It was what she did best. She suddenly felt the Doctor's hand slip into hers. He gave her an encouraging nod to speak out, say what she wanted to finally end all this.</p><p>Renata took in a breath as she looked at the Atraxi again. "You've seen what we can do and don't think that I would hesitate to bring the wings out if you ever try to do something like this to Earth again. I suggest run. You wouldn't want the Doctor and the Vortex Butterfly after you."</p><p>There was no need to go on, for the Atraxi ship had taken off in a second. Amy and Rory broke into laughter to see their world completely safe again!</p><p>Renata ended up laughing as well after it truly donned on her what she'd done. She turned to the Doctor, pointed at herself. "Did I just—"</p><p>"Yes, you did, and you were amazing!" the Doctor leaned closer to her but suddenly felt something burning in his pocket. He hissed and pulled away from Renata. He dug a hand into his pocket and pulled out the TARDIS key that was glowing.</p><p>"Oh, she's done," Renata gasped. She gave the Doctor a nod and the two were off on a chase for the TARDIS. Renata laughed as they hurried down the street and even across several lawns. She would never do that but she was too gleeful to stop.</p><p>They returned to Amy's backyard where the TARDIS stood. Straightaway, they could see the box had even given herself a new shade of dark blue.</p><p>"OK! What have you got for us this time?" the Doctor stopped in front of the doors, exchanging curious eyes with Renata. She was anxious to see what the TARDIS would look like now. "Ready?" he asked her.</p><p>"Mhm!"</p><p>He opened the doors for them and walked in at the same time. They were immediately blinded by the bright orange and gold exterior. It seemed more spacious than the last one since now they could see the bright staircase leading up to the second floor. The console was on a raised dais with a glass floor that allowed them to look below to the wires.</p><p>"Oh, you sexy thing! Look at you!" the Doctor laughed and wondered what Renata thought about it.</p><p>Her dark eyes were still widened but there was a grin marking her face. "I've never seen such a more...elegant console room!" The TARDIS hummed as if she was thanking Renata for the compliment. Renata laughed and made her way up to the console, because now there were even small glass steps leading up to it. "Seriously, well done!"</p><p>"Trip to the moon to stabilize her!" the Doctor reminded her as he started moving around the console, pressing the new buttons.</p><p>"And I don't see a mallet anywhere nearby," Renata genuinely went around the console searching its lower drawers for any mallet. "Guess she finally got rid of that!"</p><p>The Doctor rolled his eyes and stopped by the new lever. "So funny. Would you like to hang on?"</p><p>"I wouldn't have to if you drove correctly. You can't drive a TARDIS nor a fire truck, what am I going to do with you?"</p><p>"I can think of a few ideas," he flashed a smirk then pulled the lever.</p><p>The TARDIS rumbled as it took off.</p><p>"We should go get Gabriella," Renata said as soon as the TARDIS went still. "I think it's about time she came back permanently in the TARDIS...if that's okay with you, of course. Your TARDIS and all."</p><p>"Renée, it's <em>ours,"</em> the Doctor said. "I've said this countless times before but I suppose we weren't really in sync in our last bodies."</p><p>Renata thought that was an understatement. "It's not like we made it easy on each other, especially me. I'm sorry."</p><p>"Stop," he said suddenly, startling her with the quickness he had said it too. "No more apologizing. You've done that over and over, as have I. I forgive you. I really do. I forgive you for keeping your identity a secret. And most importantly, that night on Gallifrey? The night that's been a nightmare for us...I understand why you said no to me."</p><p>Renata's arms couldn't seem to find the right way to move as he went on with their past mistakes. "If I could go back to that night where you asked me to run away with you...I would have."</p><p>There was a certainty that the Doctor heard and it made his hearts swell. She hadn't been sure about that in her last body. He asked her to run away with him on the eve of his wedding to another woman and when she said no, it shattered him. Even when he learned that she said no because of her blackmailing sister...it still broke him. It was single-handedly the most painful moment of his lives. Now to hear her say that she would choose him over everyone...that brought a closure that he didn't know he needed.</p><p>"You...are you sure?" He moved around the console until he stood in front of her. "I get that I asked too much of you. You had to leave your family...your foundation...your people…"</p><p>"You were my everything back then. I-I should have trusted that you could take care of yourself, that my sister couldn't actually hurt you. And I should have been braver. But you...you have never stopped being the love of my life. I am 758 years old and in all that time I never really learned to love anyone else like I loved you. And it's not like I didn't try. Elek was sweet and I did love him but our marriage never gave me the same rush I had when I was with you."</p><p>"That's exactly how I felt," the Doctor told her with a small smile. "It's funny how that works. Centuries can pass but the feelings are still there, raw as if it was still the first day I realized I loved you."</p><p>Renata matched his smile with her own. She looked down out of shyness and embarrassment. "So...so what happens now?"</p><p>"Well...I think...if you'd like...we're both at a place where we can start again?" the Doctor was thinking about it himself. There were no more lies, no more anger, no more <em>illnesses</em> and no more need of saving the world. Everything was good and calm. It was exactly what his last incarnation told her on the day that he had to leave her with Zhe. He wanted to be with her but at that time he was still too angry with her for lying to him. There were too many things between them that needed to be solved. But that was in the past. He didn't hold onto that anger now; all he wanted was <em>her</em>.</p><p>Renata raised her head at him, revealing a nervous tint in her eyes. "You think we can do that? It's been so much time, so many things happening. Do you think we could work this time?" It seemed so surreal to even think about them actually <em>working</em> after centuries of their first attempt.</p><p>"I will definitely put my best efforts," he chuckled, though that wouldn't distract her from his own nervousness.</p><p>"It's just...I don't really know how to do that anymore," she admitted. "I never thought that I would make it here. I didn't think I would regenerate. Plus, I thought that I wanted to die. I guess I'm just trying to say that I'm sort of rusty at this 'being in a relationship thing'."</p><p>"Darling, so am I."</p><p>Renata's scoff was hard enough to make the Doctor wince. "<em>Please</em>! You've snogged more people than I can count! And that was just in your last body!"</p><p>"Oi! It's not like I planned it!"</p><p>"No but you certainly didn't seem to mind!"</p><p>"Well none of that matters because the only one I want to kiss from here on out is <em>you</em>."</p><p>Renata blinked at him and smiled pretty fast. There was that warmth in her face again. "Really?"</p><p>"Yes. I've been wanting to kiss you all day today, especially when you made that call to the Atraxi. Talk about sexy!"</p><p>Renata's eyes widened all over again. "Doctor!" She playfully hit him on the chest while he laughed. He could see her reddened face which made it all the more funny.</p><p>He wrapped his arms around her waist, keeping her steady in front of him. "So what do you say? Shall we try again?"</p><p>Renata met his gaze slowly. The redness in her face had died down and all that was left now was a softened expression. After centuries of lies and denial, she was really getting a second chance with <em>him?</em> He must be mad if he truly wanted to <em>her</em> of all people, but then again she was just as mad for wanting him. They were polar opposites from the start! She was seen as a law abiding Time Lady and he had no idea what a law was. On the other hand, he loved travelling and he practically knew everything about the galaxies and she was still learning. Plus, he always had a way of doing things that she just didn't agree with. But that also drove her madly in love with him.</p><p>It was the same for the Doctor. He saw her as the pinnacle of what a Time Lady should be, everyone who knew her on Gallifrey thought the same. She was always elegant and graceful and so proper. She was always kind to whoever she met; she literally could not be rude to anyone. How could he not fall in love with her? Yes sometimes her law abiding trait irritated him and sometimes they did bicker over their different views on the rules, but he couldn't think of another person he'd want to bicker with. She was it for him.</p><p>"I would like to start over," Renata whispered. "I would definitely like to try again."</p><p>A huge grin took over the Doctor's face. "Run away with me?"</p><p>Renata laughed. The same question that once began their centuries-long torture was now the start of what could be their genuine happiness together. "Anywhere you want," she leaned on him with a mischievous glint in her eyes. That was the answer they should have had centuries ago. They should have been free. Better late than never.</p><p>"Our first stop is to Gabby but...there's one thing I'd like to do first," the Doctor lowered his head so that they were mere inches from each other's faces.</p><p>Renata had half an idea of what he was going to say but she was too enthralled with their closeness. <em>I actually get to have this now</em>, she made the realization seconds later. "What?"</p><p>"I said I've been wanting to kiss you all day today and now we're alone...in a TARDIS where interruptions are not possible…"</p><p>"Mm, that's not quite true. We have been interrupted before even when we were inside—"</p><p>The Doctor playfully rolled his eyes at her and went ahead to kiss her. She could possibly ramble on for hours about everything that could go wrong, or everything that <em>had</em> gone wrong before.</p><p>Renata now welcomed being cut off. She would much rather kiss him too. She'd been wanting to do that all day just like him. She brought her hands to his arms, gripping them while he pressed his hands against her back. It was like an endless loop, whenever he pressed against her back, she would grip his arms. It was impossible to be any closer but they continued to search for ways.</p><p>Renata pulled away for a moment - it really would be just for a moment because she was not done - and looked the Doctor over. She hadn't really looked at him with everything that happened.</p><p>His style had drastically changed. Suits were abandoned for something a bit more classic, at least in her opinion. She could appreciate the dark brown tweed jacket - though she knew for a fact Gabby would have a few comments about that - but <em>she</em> would have some questions on the bow tie.</p><p>"What is it?" the Doctor asked her after a while of watching her study <em>him</em>.</p><p>She raised her gaze off his clothes and met his new green eyes. "I like this you."</p><p>The Doctor laughed. "Well, that's good to know. I like you too, darling."</p><p>Renata smiled along with him. She slid her arms up and around his neck. "Did we have a midlife crisis?" She referred to the fact that now both of them wore far younger faces than their last bodies. "I've never had one before."</p><p>"I think we just wanted to start fresh," the Doctor's answer was a viable one. She would take it. "Do you want to go pick up Gabby now?"</p><p>Renata titled her head and hummed. "Yes…" the Doctor made a move towards the console but she tightened her grip around him. "<em>But</em> after we do more of…" She brushed her lips over his, giving him a tantalizing smile.</p><p>The Doctor's eyes widened. "Oh...right, right...I'd like that. I'd definitely like—"</p><p>Renata pressed her lips against his. She wouldn't let him get away so quick, not after all that they dealt with. <em>Look at me being so bold</em>, she commended herself.</p><p>The Doctor's hands once against found her back and pressed against it. The fabric of her dress was far too thin as he first noticed when they climbed out of the TARDIS in Amy's backyard. Now he had the full proof and he <em>loved</em> it. Eventually, one of his hands traveled up to the back of Renata's neck to keep her right against him. They were moving their lips in a sweet sync in the first minutes but after getting over it - because it <em>had </em>been centuries of longing - they started moving into a more rough type of kiss. They <em>needed </em>each other. They wouldn't realize to want extent that might be just yet but the seed was still there and it was being planted right now.</p><p>Renata gasped when the Doctor hoisted her up on the edge of the console. She laughed out of surprise, making a face that told him she'd never done anything like that, which only made him smirk. With him, she'd be able to do anything she wanted. There would be no more rules binding her.</p><p>They resumed their kiss, quickly finding their level of heat again. If they were more aware, they would've realized how easy it had been to reconnect; to re-establish the same intensity they once had centuries ago. One new thing Renata found truly pleasant was the fact she could hold onto the Doctor's hair. It was <em>longer</em>. She would love doing that from now on, she just hoped that the Doctor could find something about her that he liked too.</p><p>He had.</p><p>But he would keep that with him for a bit longer.</p>
<hr/><p>
  <strong>Author's Note:</strong>
</p><p>These idiots are finally together after 93757620 years! So excited for you guys to see them like this! Fair warning, it'll be like a rollercoaster. Next chapter, we'll have Gabby back and finish up a loose string from the last story. After that is when we'll get to The Beast Below. </p><p>Soo, if you follow me on tumblr then perhaps you've seen one of my latest posts that I unfortunately tested positive for COVID. My quarantine is back and since I'm going to be spending a lot of time on my own, I might just use this time to go back to drafts and try to write some more. However, it might also explain a possible lack of updating. Who knows, it's still new and I haven't really felt any symptoms. I'm hoping it'll stay that way but with this damn thing, who knows.</p><p><strong>P.S</strong> As always, I have a tumblr account dedicated to my fanfic works! It's a place where anyone can comment about a story or even just talk to me! I often drop aesthetic work belonging to my stories too! Feel free to check it out, my URL is "<strong>saiilorstars</strong>"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Reborn</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Renata and the Doctor finally return to pick up their companion, Gabby Gonzalez. While Renata gathers her things from Zhe's gallery, the Doctor makes one trip to the past to say goodbye to...Renata?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Gabriella Gonzalez was deep in her sketching book. She had come to sit in the garden of their good friend Zhe. Being an eccentric alien garden, Gabby was often inspired to make doodles and drawings of what was in it. Huge statues lined the cobblestone pathway. Not even the beautiful sparkly blue grass would make anyone take their eyes off the statues. Gabby's own statue—her first statue ever since she learned how to wield the Block Transfer—of Renata as the Vortex Butterfly proudly stood at the front. It was that statue that kept pulling Gabby's attention off her sketchbook every now and then.</p>
<p>She was doodling Renata and the Doctor, her mind not letting her think of anything else. Renata had regenerated then left one day ago to find their Doctor. There was trouble - as the other Doctor had told her and Renata - on Earth and so of course Renata would go find him. Gabby hadn't been too thrilled staying behind but she didn't have much of a choice. The new Renata was just as authoritative as the last. Something about a 'Master' and '<em>there's no way I'm letting you near him!</em>'. Gabby still didn't understand but then Renata and the Doctor came back...only for Gabby to learn that the Doctor was going to regenerate. He had come to say <em>goodbye</em> to her. Tears still came to Gabby's eyes when she remembered his face. He was going to die and he was saying goodbye to everyone, including her. That had been one day ago and now Gabby was going crazy waiting for some type of contact from the two Time Lords. She didn't know if Renata and the Doctor were safe nor where they were.</p>
<p>The owner of the gallery where Gabby resided, and once Renata, had done her own digging with her contacts. They confirmed that the Earth was just fine, still rotating normally and still in its right orbit. Zhe was more than just the owner of the gallery, she had become a close friend of Renata and Gabby and so Gabby had no reason not to trust Zhe's words. Gabby just wasn't sure where Renata and the Doctor were now.</p>
<p>But then she heard it.</p>
<p>She froze when she heard the first light noise of wheezing.</p>
<p><em>Please be real</em>. <em>Please be real.</em></p>
<p>Gabby put her pencil down as she heard the second louder wheezing. She looked up and nearly cried out of joy when she saw the TARDIS materializing in the garden. She dumped her sketchbook on the bench and raced towards the garden. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Her vision was blurred from tears but she kept laughing like a little girl who'd just seen something magnificent. Because she had.</p>
<p>Renata had barely open the door and stepped out when Gabby collided with her in a big hug. "Woah!" Renata barely kept on her feet from such a hug. "Gabriella, what's the mean—"</p>
<p>"Shut up, just shut up! I thought something happened to you!" Gabby hugged her so tight that she might actually crack some bones.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry. We were in a rush and—"</p>
<p>"It doesn't matter," Gabby squeezed Renata one more time before finally letting go. "You're here, you're alive and—" she suddenly stopped and peered inside the TARDIS from where she stood, "Where's the Doctor!? Is he okay!?"</p>
<p>"Uuh...so there's been a change…" Renata was just beginning to explain when the Doctor walked out of the TARDIS.</p>
<p>"That's an understatement!"</p>
<p>Gabby loudly gasped and stumbled back a few steps. Her eyes were as wide as could be. "Doctor!?"</p>
<p>"Am I that bad looking this time?" the Doctor brought his hands to his face. He'd finally had a proper look at himself and he thought he was pretty good looking. It would do.</p>
<p>Gabby's eyes blinked fast while they looked the Doctor over. "It's you!"</p>
<p>"Why are you acting so surprised? I understand this isn't the first time you've seen me," the Doctor fixed his tweed jacket.</p>
<p>"Yeah but...that was the future you! That's what you said!"</p>
<p>"Hello, future!" the Doctor waved a hand. Gabby deadpanned him. "Oh alright," he dropped his hand to his side. "I'm sorry."</p>
<p>"Oh Doctor, <em>I'm</em> so sorry," Gabby's face slowly softened. "You died…"</p>
<p>"We all have to go sometime but in a matter of speaking I did die. But I'm here—"</p>
<p>Gabby didn't let him finish. She walked over and hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry I wasn't there."</p>
<p>The Doctor hugged her back. "I had Renata with me. She took good care of me."</p>
<p>"Still, wish I could've been there when it actually happened."</p>
<p>"No, you really wouldn't have," Renata's words broke them apart. "Because being the Doctor, he <em>of course</em> had to send us directly into trouble."</p>
<p>"Again, I'm so sorry I couldn't die the right way!" the Doctor rolled his eyes at her.</p>
<p>"What happened?" Gabby asked them, fairly amused as they started to bicker over some aliens and a crack and...something about a Prisoner Zero? They sure seemed to be acting normally for them.</p>
<p>"It's a long story, Gabriella. How about we talk it over while we...pick our stuff up?" Renata's eyes flickered to the gallery.</p>
<p>Gabby soon beamed when she understood what it meant. They were finally going back to the TARDIS after such a long time. Renata's illness had finally faded with the regeneration! "Oh yes! So we're all...we're <em>all</em> going back!?"</p>
<p>"Well, we are like a family right?" the Doctor asked and Gabby didn't miss the way his arm curled around Renata's waist.</p>
<p>"Uuuh…" Gabby's eyebrow went up without her trying. She was definitely taken aback when Renata shared a smile with him and leaned on him. "I think...we have a lot to discuss." A lot indeed.</p>
<p>"Why don't you two go ahead and start packing?" the Doctor suggested. "I need to take a quick little trip on my own."</p>
<p>"What? But you just got back!" Gabby was terrified that they would leave again without her. She understood why Renata did it the first time but she wasn't interested in letting it happen again.</p>
<p>"It'll be quick for you. I <em>have</em> to do it," the Doctor shared a meaningful look with Renata.</p>
<p>Renata gave him a nod. She knew where he was going. "Go ahead. And thanks."</p>
<p>"Thank <em>you,"</em> the Doctor countered. He dove down to her lips for a quick kiss.</p>
<p>Gabby gaped. Renata, meanwhile, smiled at him with an actual blush! Gabby almost rubbed her eyes to make sure she was truly seeing this.</p>
<p>"Be back!" The Doctor exclaimed and hopped Gabby's head. "Start packing, Gabby-Gabbs—oh," he paused for a second, "I like that! Gabby-Gabbs! Gabbs!" He snapped his fingers a bit too close to her face that she flinched back, not that he would notice. He spun away and rushed into the TARDIS.</p>
<p>"Yeah, he seems to like using his hands more this time around," Renata commented while the TARDIS de-materialized. "We'll see how that goes. C'mon then! We got some packing to do and some goodbyes to say!"</p>
<p>"Wait a minute!" Gabby exclaimed as Renata took the lead towards the gallery. "Are we not going to talk about that!?"</p>
<p>Renata smiled knowingly ahead of her. "About what?"</p>
<p>"Ooh <em>no</em>!" Gabby almost laughed at Renata's attempt to deflect the topic. "You're not getting out of this so easily Renata! I'm serious!" She trailed after the Time Lady into the gallery.</p>
<p>~0~</p>
<p>
  <strong>Zhe's Gallery, 1 day ago.</strong>
</p>
<p>Gabby ran out of Renata's bedroom, shouting for the Doctor. She heard the TARDIS materializing from inside the room. It was him! He had finally come back and with any luck, he had a cure for Renata. She hated to think that Renata's time was coming to an end.</p>
<p>"Doctor! Doctor!" Gabby yelled all the way down the hall, and to the TARDIS but she nearly crashed into the door when somebody opened it inches from her face. Gabby fervently shook her head and blinked fast to get her sight back. When she did, she saw who had come. "...Doctor?" It was the Doctor alright, but not the version Gabby knew. "Who...who are you?"</p>
<p>The eleventh Doctor smiled kindly at Gabby, though it was very strained. "Hello Gabby. It's the Doctor, don't worry."</p>
<p>But Gabby still didn't look convinced. "No...he's taller. And he wears suits. Plus, you look nothing like him!"</p>
<p>"I regenerated, Gabby. I'm from the future. I got your call but I'm a little late."</p>
<p>Gabby blinked at him, deciding if it was really true what he was saying. She looked back towards Renata's room. "...she's dying. Renata...she's dying…"</p>
<p>The Doctor gave a small nod of his head. "I know," he said grimly. "That's why I'm here."</p>
<p>"Did you find a cure?" Gabby asked him with hopeful eyes. The Doctor remained grim. With his intense gaze, Gabby knew that he hadn't. Tears formed in her eyes as she looked back at the room again. "She's going to die!"</p>
<p>"She will but she'll regenerate," the Doctor gently touched her arm. "And I'm going to be there with her. Thank you for taking care of her."</p>
<p>"Will she be okay?"</p>
<p>"Afterwards, yes. I'll make sure of it."</p>
<p>Gabby sighed. "What's going to happen?"</p>
<p>"I'm going make her last minutes as comfortable as possible," the Doctor gave her a quick hug and a kiss on top of her head.</p>
<p>He left her in search of Renata. He made it down the hallway and walked into the room where his Renata would be, her previous incarnation. His hearts nearly stopped at the sight of her writhing body on her bed.</p>
<p>Zhe was holding her hand tightly, trying to calm the Time Lady down.</p>
<p>"Renata," the Doctor hurried to the other side of the bed, ignoring Zhe's suspicious stare. He brushed Renata's blonde hair our of her face, feeling the sweat from her skin in the process.</p>
<p>Renata was swaying her head, coming in and out of consciousness. "I want...I want the...I want...the Doctor. Where is he?"</p>
<p>The Doctor grabbed her hand tightly, once again feeling the beads of her sweat on her skin. She was close, alright. "I'm here, love. I'm here."</p>
<p>Renata stopped moving to look at him.</p>
<p>Zhe's eyes had widened on him too. "You're…?"</p>
<p>The Doctor gave her a nod just to ease her suspicions on him. He then smiled softly for Renata. She was squinting her eyes as if she couldn't see him when in reality she was trying to process his words.</p>
<p>"I'm here," he told her and kissed the back of her hand.</p>
<p>"You're late," she said, sounding as if she wanted to huff. It made him laugh. Even when regeneration loomed over her, she would always have enough energy to scold.</p>
<p>"Yeah I am. And you have no idea how sorry I am. I should've been here - the other me - he should be here, but he's not coming. I'm so sorry."</p>
<p>Renata struggled to smile without making it seem too strained. She felt her entire body close to bursting. "No...it's my fault. I waited too long to change my mind. I wanted to die alone. But now that I'm here…" fresh tears filled her eyes, "I don't want to die by myself. I want you with me. How selfish am I? To think that you'll always come to me like you're at my beck and call."</p>
<p>"But I am, and I have no problem with that. Anytime you call, I'll run to you. Always."</p>
<p>Renata sniffled. He was always much too kind to people who didn't deserve it. <em>She</em> definitely didn't deserve it.</p>
<p>"C'mon," the Doctor slid his arms under her body to pick her up.</p>
<p>"Doctor, she can't go anywhere," Zhe rose from her seat. "She won't make it to—"</p>
<p>"We're just going to take one last trip to the garden." He told her while he settled Renata's body in his arms. "My Renée deserves at least that. She shouldn't die surrounded in a bland old room. No offence."</p>
<p>Zhe rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile. It was definitely him alright.</p>
<p>"She's going to see the flowers one more time." He kissed Renata's forehead and headed out of the room.</p>
<p>He took Renata to the garden in the back, the same garden she would take walks in each day she stayed in the gallery. It was her favorite pastime. Hopefully it could bring her some peace in these last minutes. He wanted to help her as much as she had helped him during his regeneration.</p>
<p>Despite her worsening condition, Renata felt the change of air around them when the Doctor brought them outside. He walked over the blue grass and stopped by a beautiful flower bed he had no doubt Renata planted.</p>
<p>"Here we are," the Doctor lowered himself to the ground, keeping Renata close to him but in more of a sitting position so she could see her flowers.</p>
<p>"Thank you," she whispered, for it was as high as her voice would allow.</p>
<p>"Of course. I wish there was more I could've done for you. If there had been a cure I would've gotten it for you, no matter the price."</p>
<p>"I wouldn't deserve that, Doctor." She tilted her head up at him, allowing him to see the usual guilt that often plagued her. It sat in her eyes like it belonged there. "You have dedicated too much time to me when the truth is I never deserved it. Look at you, I dread to think that you regenerated because of me."</p>
<p>"Hey, that's not true," he lightly scolded her. "You want to know the truth? The truth is we have spent far too many centuries trying to erase what happened between us. We tried pushing it away and in doing so, we built a mountain of lies. But none of that means that I would ever stop loving you."</p>
<p>"Even when I wasn't been honest with you?"</p>
<p>"I don't care, Gala. I love you and no matter what you do, that will never change."</p>
<p>Renata couldn't help but cry in that moment. "I wanted to die," she blurted, immediately reminding the Doctor what the present Renata had said. She'd wanted to die in her last body, truly die without regeneration.</p>
<p>He looked at her with a pained expression. "Why? Why would you want to do that?"</p>
<p>"Because I never learned how to live, especially in this body. I was just so tired of everything going wrong. I thought that it was best if I just...stopped. Forever. But you...but you still love me even after I hurt you so much and I thought...maybe if I survived, <em>we</em> could actually happen. The right way this time. I wanted to live in the end but it was too late."</p>
<p>"It's never late," the Doctor told her. "Because if you put all of your efforts into this regeneration, I'll be waiting on the other side."</p>
<p>Renata brought a hand up to his cheek, gently stroking his skin. "You would want to be with me again?"</p>
<p>"Very much," the Doctor gave her a nod. He lowered his head to capture her lips in a kiss, proving his words true.</p>
<p>Renata welcomed him despite her doubts. No matter where she was, who she was, who he was, it would always be the same old story. She would love him until the end of her life.</p>
<p>They pulled away to share soft smiles with each other but a few seconds later, Renata's hands started glowing with regeneration energy. She groaned and nearly fell out of the Doctor's arms if he hadn't held onto her.</p>
<p>"It's time…" she took in a shaky breath. "Let's see if this is what wipes the slate clean."</p>
<p>"Good luck, love," the Doctor pressed a kiss to her forehead and then helped her stand up. She wobbled for the first few seconds but she ultimately got her balance.</p>
<p>"I'll...try…" she flashed him a tired smile. The months of expelling Vortex and toxic energy had finally taken its toll on her.</p>
<p>She swallowed hard and raised her hands to see them glowing brightly. There was a second energy, one that she recognized as the same energy she used on the Daleks and their Reality Bomb. It wrapped around her like a present. She could feel the ripple of pain strike her once again before the energy took her over. She screamed as the regeneration finally began.</p>
<p>The Doctor shielded his eyes from the brightness, hoping it would be a quick process. He couldn't stand hearing her agonizing screams. He tried peeking through the light and saw the silhouette of the energy forming butterfly wings behind Renata. The Vortex Butterfly was finally finding the balance it needed to rest within Renata.</p>
<p>Slowly, the light faded and the energy dissipated from Renata to leave a brand new woman in its spot. It was the same Renata that the Doctor left in the future. His Renata with long dark hair and matching eyes. She blinked pretty fast as she gathered herself from such a process.</p>
<p>"I...I'm alive…" she spoke hoarsely and touched her neck, her throat specifically. "And I sound younger. Am I younger?"</p>
<p>The Doctor chuckled and rushed to hug her, leaving a bunch of kisses on her new dark hair. "You're beautiful."</p>
<p>Renata smiled and hugged him tight. "Thank you for coming back. I don't deserve you."</p>
<p>"You have got to stop saying that, Renee," the Doctor said with a heavy sigh. "No more of this stuff. I can't bear to hear it."</p>
<p>"But it's true!"</p>
<p>"So I'm completely innocent in all this? I have nothing I should feel bad for?" The Doctor waited for her to try and lie with the answer. She couldn't because she knew that he <em>had</em> some faults in their past.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry," she said in a whisper. "I'm am <em>so</em> sorry."</p>
<p>"I know, dear," he raised her chin up to him. "But this is a new life you have, one free of illnesses. Don't you think you deserve a new chance to live freely?"</p>
<p>Renata bit her bottom lip. "That...that would be nice."</p>
<p>"If you really want to make things better, then just do that. Live the way <em>you</em> want to live. That's all I want from you."</p>
<p>"Wouldn't that be nice?" Renata smiled for a moment. "This is my eleventh regeneration, my twelfth incarnation, and I'm only <em>now</em> going to try and live the way <em>I</em> want to. Isn't that funny? Nearly at the end of my first cycle of life and it's only now where I can try to do something I haven't been since my very first incarnation. I can be <em>happy</em>. It's in my name, actually. Renata. It means<em> 'to be reborn' </em>and I promise that this time I'm going to try and be someone good, be someone better than what I've been in the past. This new me is going to do big things."</p>
<p>The Doctor smiled with her words. He cupped her face gently. "I promise, if you give me a chance, I will do everything I can to add to that happiness."</p>
<p>"But first I have to find you," Renata reminded him. As much as he was the Doctor, he wasn't hers <em>yet</em>. "Where's my Doctor?"</p>
<p>The Doctor was reluctant to answer but he knew that she had to find him in order to get to where they were now. "I swear that he would've came but...he had a mishap..."</p>
<p>Renata pulled away from him, concern etching across her new face. "Is he alright?"</p>
<p>The Doctor wasn't sure how to answer that. His other self was probably on his way to Earth right now to stop the Master from returning. "There are some things I need to tell you before you meet with him. C'mon," he took her hand to lead her back to the TARDIS, only for him to remember something. "Oh wait!" He let go of her and rushed to the flower bed. He looked through them for a couple seconds while Renata watched him in confusion. "This one!" He had picked a beautiful red tulip from the flower bed and returned to Renata. He gently set it behind her ear and admired the sight of her. "Beautiful."</p>
<p>Renata touched the flower and blushed. "Thank you, though I could use a total change of clothes." She looked down at her clothes and realized that they no longer fit with her.</p>
<p>"I've got just the dress for you!" the Doctor promised. He had his current Renata's flower dress neatly folded on the Captain's chair. "C'mon!" He pulled Renata by the hand towards the gallery.</p>
<p>~0~</p>
<p>
  <strong>Present Day, Zhe's Gallery.</strong>
</p>
<p>Renata picked up her golden pendant from her old bed stand and brushed her fingers over it. Her late husband had given it to her so long ago. She never took it off from the first day he gave it to her but now wearing it didn't seem quite right.</p>
<p>"Renata?" Gabby cautiously called her name. They were having a conversation when Renata spotted the golden pendant and suddenly the room went eerie quiet. Gabby wasn't all that surprised. She knew how important that pendant was to Renata, she just wondered how things would change now that she and the Doctor were apparently starting a relationship. That must be what Renata was thinking about.</p>
<p>Renata turned around to the girl. "Sorry, where was I?"</p>
<p>Gabby's smirk reminded her perfectly. "You just finished telling me about this Prisoner Zero fiasco and this Amy Pond girl and were saying how you and the Doctor <em>finally</em> talked."</p>
<p>"Right," Renata said, her eyes drifting to the side as a deep blush room her face over. They talked alright, followed by a good amount of kissing...on top of the console.</p>
<p>Gabby had come to know Renata really well, so she could see the red face from where she stood. "Hey Ren, something you wanna tell me about?"</p>
<p>"Hm? No!" Renata fervently shook her head and exhaled a shaky breath. "Why-why would you think that?"</p>
<p>Gabby set a hand on her hip and stared at the Time Lady for a good long minute. "<em>Mhm</em>. Is this how it's going to be, then?"</p>
<p>"Be like what?"</p>
<p>"Be like that whenever you and the Doctor make out." Gabby laughed when Renata went into a choking fit. "Oh my God! I knew it! I didn't think you were capable of making out with someone!"</p>
<p>"Stop saying that!" Renata exclaimed.</p>
<p>"What? That you made out—"</p>
<p>"Stop it!" Renata hissed, but the fact that she still had a red face made it impossible for Gabby to stop.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry, I'm American. I should say you 'snogged' instead, huh? Right term for you guys."</p>
<p>"Please, for the love of God, stop saying that!"</p>
<p>"Why? It's what happened, isn't?"</p>
<p>"Well, yeah, but...it just sounds weird," Renata crinkled her nose. It sounded childish and what she wanted with the Doctor would <em>not </em>be childish. "I don't 'snog' and I don't 'make out' with anyone."</p>
<p>Gabby giggled. "But you kind of did."</p>
<p>Renata deadpanned her. "Gabriella!"</p>
<p>"What? Look Ren, there is nothing wrong with having a little fun. And being serious, I am <em>so </em>happy for you and the Doctor." Gabby smiled at the Time Lady. "It was about time. I just wish Donna was still around to see it."</p>
<p>Renata could agree there. They both lamented the loss of their friend, especially since they had become like a little family and Donna was always trying to help the Doctor speak up about his feelings for Renata. If she could only see them now.</p>
<p>"So you guys really want me around?" Gabby inquired after a moment. "You don't want some, uh, alone time in the TARDIS?"</p>
<p>Renata chuckled. "God no! He'll drive me crazy! Plus, I might drive him crazy too. I don't know how these new bodies—" she gestured to herself, "—will interact with each other. Brand new us after all."</p>
<p>"Well, you're already making out—" Gabby giggled when Renata glared, "—so I think you'll be just fine."</p>
<p>"Yeah," Renata whispered as she looked back to her pendant in her hand. She turned away again and walked towards the bed. She didn't have a lot in the gallery to begin with, but the little clothes she had were now packed into a suitcase. "Did you finish packing yet?"</p>
<p>Gabby nodded her head. "Mhm. Just waiting for the Doctor now. Where exactly are we going?"</p>
<p>"I think we'll be going back for Amy Pond," Renata answered distractedly. Her fingers were still brushing over her pendant. "There's something not right about that girl."</p>
<p>"You mean because of the crack in her bedroom? Not really her fault though, is it?"</p>
<p>"No, not at all. But we want to be cautious and make sure her life wasn't affected by a crack that shouldn't have been in her bedroom."</p>
<p>"Good thinking," Gabby nodded again.</p>
<p>There was a light knock on the door a few seconds later. The Doctor poked his head into the room. "Hey! Are we done?"</p>
<p>"Yes!" Gabby beamed. She was more than ready to finally start travelling again. "But where did you go right now?"</p>
<p>The Doctor walked into the room with what Gabby could only describe as a grim smile. He'd been so happy before leaving, what could have changed his mood so quick?</p>
<p>The Doctor went directly to Renata who seemed to know what he would do, for when he hugged she already had her arms open for him. He hugged her tight and swayed her body. Gabby wasn't sure what he was saying but it sounded like he was apologizing for something. Renata had mumbled an '<em>I'm okay</em>'. She wasn't sure if she should slip out of the room to give them privacy but before she could make up her mind, the two Time Lords pulled away.</p>
<p>Renata held onto the Doctor's hand afterwards. "Thank you," she whispered to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.</p>
<p>The Doctor smiled at her until he noticed the pendant in her other hand. He didn't mean to react at it, but it was impossible given who it was from.</p>
<p>Renata followed his gaze to the pendant and sighed. "Gabriella, can you take my suitcase out please?"</p>
<p>Gabby came for the suitcase on the bed and pulled it onto the ground. "I'll be outside then."</p>
<p>"Thank you," Renata nodded for her to go. When Gabby closed the door, Renata apologized to the Doctor. "I'm just a little unsure of what to do with it." She gazed at the pendant, turning it over and over in her palm.</p>
<p>"It's alright. I know how much that means to you. And actually, I do have something else to give you. It's only right you have it back." The Doctor reached into his jacket's inside pocket to take out a familiar necklace with a diamond hanging from it.</p>
<p>Renata gasped and instinctively took it from his hand. "My Whitepoint Star necklace." Tears came to her eyes as she remembered the horrid day her sister yanked it off her neck to give to Rassilon and establish the link between them and the Master. "I thought I'd never see this again." She turned the diamond around to see the old Gallifreyan names on it; her name, her late husband's name and their unborn child's name.</p>
<p>"I went back to Naismith's mansion when we left. The Assessor stole it from you and I thought I could do a little good. I know how much that necklace meant to you." It didn't matter to the Doctor that the necklace had come from Renata's husband, Elek. He'd been a good man to Renata, loved her, and had almost given her a child. "I hope you can find some peace now."</p>
<p>Renata broke into tears with the Whitepoint star in one hand and the pendant in the other. The Doctor wrapped his arms around her for a hug and kissed the top of her head.</p>
<p>"I don't know what to do with them now," Renata admitted through her tears. "I used to wear them all the time but...it doesn't feel right anymore."</p>
<p>"Don't think that I'd be upset if you wore them again," the Doctor said just to make sure she wasn't making a decision based on what <em>he</em> would think. "I know how much Elek meant to you."</p>
<p>"Yes but it's not right," Renata raised her head to meet his gaze. "I know it's not. It doesn't <em>feel</em> right. I used to wear the pendant because I was a devoted widow...because I swore to myself that I would never move on. But here I am...wanting to be with you. I can't wear them anymore. I...I don't want to."</p>
<p>"Can I make a suggestion?"</p>
<p>"I would like it if you did…"</p>
<p>"I have a room specifically meant for my previous companions, people I have cared for who are no longer with me. You could add these two necklaces to that room, give them a final resting place."</p>
<p>"I like the sound of that," Renata admitted. Elek was long gone and deserved to rest in peace just as she deserved to move on with her life too.</p>
<p>"Yeah? We can do that as soon as we get back to the TARDIS," the Doctor took her hands and closed them over the necklaces. "Shall we go?"</p>
<p>Renata nodded. "Yes."</p>
<p>They left the room without looking back.</p>
<p>~ 0 ~</p>
<p>"Please visit me soon," Zhe stood just outside the TARDIS with the trio of travelers. The humanoid blue woman was happy that everything turned out fine in the end, only lamenting that both Renata and the Doctor had to regenerate for it to happen.</p>
<p>"We will, I promise," Renata said, taking two of the woman's four hands into her own.</p>
<p>"I still have to continue my training anyways," Gabby chimed in, referring to her Block Transfer abilities.</p>
<p>"Of course," Zhe nodded. "I'll be waiting for you."</p>
<p>"Thank you for <em>everything,</em> Zhe," the Doctor said to her, truly grateful for all the support the woman had given them while Renata was ill. "I will never forget that."</p>
<p>"Me too," Renata agreed. "I don't have a lot of friends—actually, I only have three friends. Gabriella, Martha and you."</p>
<p>"Oi," the Doctor huffed in offence.</p>
<p>Renata gave him a light whack against his chest. "You're <em>more."</em> That certainly made his face brighten up.</p>
<p>Zhe smiled knowingly at the pair, just like Gabby was. "I'm glad it worked out for you two."</p>
<p>"Would you like to come with us for a trip?" asked the Doctor. "Could be fun."</p>
<p>Zhe chuckled. "Oh no. I'm good, thank you."</p>
<p>"Well then, I guess this is it," Renata gave Zhe a tight hug, thanking the woman over and over for everything she had done in the past.</p>
<p>Zhe was then hugged by Gabby and the Doctor. She wished them good luck on whatever adventure they had planned, because she knew they had something planned. She watched them go into the TARDIS and waved as the box de-materialized into thin air.</p>
<p>~ 0 ~</p>
<p>"NO WAY!" Gabby laughed almost deliriously when she saw the new interior of the TARDIS. It was <em>nothing</em> like the previous one. She spun around to catch all the bright orangey details of the walls. "This is too cool!"</p>
<p>"Yeah?" the Doctor chuckled as he watched her stumble after spinning so much. "You approve then?"</p>
<p>"Uh, <em>yeah</em>!" Gabby tapped on the glass floor to see if it was strong. "And we get a new glass floor!? It's so elegant!"</p>
<p>"I thought so too," the Doctor hummed in agreement. He then clapped his hands and turned to the console. Gabby scurried beside him, watching him work the new controls. "So, I know Renata told you about the little girl we met?"</p>
<p>"Yup! Amelia Pond, right? Er, Amy? Yeah, that's really weird what happened with her room. You think she's still in danger?"</p>
<p>"Don't know, but I'd like to keep her around to find out."</p>
<p>"So...is she, like, going to stay with us?"</p>
<p>"Would you mind?" the Doctor asked her, fixating a serious gaze that warranted an honest answer from her. Gabby wasn't just any ordinary passenger, nor companion, she was <em>family</em> and he wanted her to know that he truly valued her opinion, especially after Donna's departure. Nobody new had come aboard since then.</p>
<p>Gabby swayed her head as she thought about the idea of having someone new in the TARDIS. "Well...it could be fun not being the newbie this time. I could take some notes and be what Donna was for me. How old is she? This Amy?"</p>
<p>"Uh, she was 19 I believe."</p>
<p>"Oh! She's one year younger than me! I think it could be fun," Gabby gave a firm nod of her head. "Bring her in, Doctor. Let's see what Amy Pond brings to the TARDIS."</p>
<p>The Doctor laughed with her and that's how Renata found them. She had left her pendant and Whitepoint Star in the room the Doctor told her about. She felt a strange wave of peace when she closed the door, like she was finally moving on from that moment in her life. And seeing the Doctor and Gabby so happy and laughing made her feel even more sure that she was right where she wanted to be.</p>
<p>~ 0 ~</p>
<p>Amy Pond had memorized the TARDIS wheezing on the first night it left her for 'five minutes'. Now when she heard it for the third time, she jumped out of her bed without a second thought. No more pretending with costumes! She bolted down the staircase and into the backyard, almost laughing when she realized it was once again night time and she was in her pajamas! Well, a nightie but it was otherwise the same.</p>
<p>By the time she reached the TARDIS, the Doctor and Renata were already standing outside the box...waiting for her.</p>
<p>"Did we wake you up?" Renata wrinkled her nose as she gazed up into the night, starry sky. They'd been gone for more than a few hours again, she was sure.</p>
<p>"It's you, you came back!" Amy basically confirmed the suspicions. She was staring at them in awe, like she couldn't believe it...again.</p>
<p>"Sorry about the running off, got a bit lost in the moment," the Doctor sent a quick smirk to Renata who rolled her eyes in response. "Plus, we had to pick someone up. But don't worry, brand new TARDIS is ready for the big stuff now!"</p>
<p>Amy looked him over and made a face that didn't quite fit with the usual response someone would get seeing the TARDIS. "You kept the clothes."</p>
<p>Renata laughed to the side while the Doctor deadpanned the ginger. "Well, we just saved the world, the whole planet, for about the millionth time, no charge! Yeah, shoot me! I kept the clothes."</p>
<p>"I did not," Renata gestured to her very gray dress.</p>
<p>"And you left the bow tie too…" Amy once again made a face.</p>
<p>"Yeah, I wasn't sure how to feel about that as well…" Gabby emerged from the TARDIS, startling Amy. "Hi," Gabby waved a hand. "Gabby Gonzalez. And yes I agree with you: the bow tie is ridiculous."</p>
<p>"Hey!" the Doctor cried. "Bow ties are cool!"</p>
<p>"Yeah, the jury's still out on that one!"</p>
<p>The Doctor mocked them with a sway of his head. "Gabby, you can go back inside now!"</p>
<p>Gabby laughed and wiggled her fingers at Amy. "See you in a moment."</p>
<p>Amy slowly wiggled her fingers at her even though she still didn't quite understand how Gabby was even there. "Is she...are you...are you all from another planet?"</p>
<p>"We are," Renata gestured to herself and the Doctor. "But Gabriella's from New York. She's quite human...ish." After the birth of the Vortex Butterfly and the Cosmic Butterfly, both she and Renata still needed to run extensive exams.</p>
<p>"So what do you think?" the Doctor asked Amy. Her eyes flickered to him after studying the outside of the TARDIS. It was still as blue as she remembered it.</p>
<p>"Of what?"</p>
<p>"Other planets. Want to check some out?"</p>
<p>"What does that mean?"</p>
<p>Renata smiled at the woman. "It means we'd like for you to come with us."</p>
<p>"W-Where?"</p>
<p>"Anywhere you'd like. First trip is always your choice!"</p>
<p>Amy's eyebrows seemed to knit together for some reason. "All that stuff, the hospital, the spaceships, Prisoner Zero…"</p>
<p>"Oh, don't worry. That's just the beginning. There's loads more!" the Doctor promised but also meant to warn Amy of what was to come.</p>
<p>"Yeah, but those things, amazing things, all that stuff…" Amy's face suddenly darkened with anger and annoyance. "That was <em>two</em> years ago!" She promptly smacked each Time Lord's arm, getting a sense of satisfaction hearing them yelp.</p>
<p>"Oh not again!" Renata let her head hang. "Doctor, you're seriously messing up my track record!"</p>
<p>"Sure, it's <em>my</em> fault—"</p>
<p><em>"You</em> piloted us! On both occasions!"</p>
<p>The Doctor's mouth opened to argue but shut it at the last moment. Alright, so maybe it could've been been his fault.</p>
<p>"So...um…" Renata awkwardly met Amy's upset stare, the ginger woman having folded her arms over her chest. "What's it been, then?"</p>
<p>"14 years!" Amy spat and just a second after she said it, Renata did the same with a weary sigh.</p>
<p><em>"Really</em> sorry about that."</p>
<p>"Fourteen years since fish custard. Amy Pond, the girl who waited, you've waited long enough," the Doctor said exactly what Renata had been thinking.</p>
<p>Amy's upset expression faded as curiosity took over, as well a bit of doubt. "When I was a kid, you said there was a swimming pool and a library, and the swimming pool was <em>in</em> the library."</p>
<p>"Yeah. Not sure where it's got to now," the Doctor murmured as he had still yet to locate each room that'd gone missing. "I'm sure it'll turn up."</p>
<p>"It better if you know what's good for you," Renata remarked without a hint of playfulness. The Doctor winced and silently begged the TARDIS to help him out there.</p>
<p>"So... coming?" he asked Amy again since she hadn't said anything.</p>
<p>"No!" she exclaimed, or perhaps meant to shout at them like she knew exactly what she was doing.</p>
<p>"No?" Renata wasn't sure to laugh there and then. Amy was obviously trying to put up a front that she was no longer interested in the TARDIS. "You wanted to come 14 years ago."</p>
<p>"I grew up!"</p>
<p>"Don't worry. We'll soon fix that," the Doctor promised her with a smirk, only for Renata to say he would leave her right alone.</p>
<p>"Just be you, Amy Pond," she told the woman just as the Doctor snapped his fingers to open the doors behind them.</p>
<p>Amy was immediately bathed in the orange glow of the TARDIS interior and before she knew it, her feet were taking her into it. Hearing her coming in, Gabby poked her head from the console to see Amy's reaction. It was a whole other thing being on the <em>other</em> side now. Gabby wondered if this is what Donna felt when she first walked in and Donna watched her take it all in. Gabby smiled warmly at the memory of that day, though bittersweetly too. How times changed.</p>
<p>Amy's eyes had widened like dinner plates as she took in the whole room. She always wondered what it would look like on the inside, but it didn't compare to what she saw now. There were no words to describe how she felt, even if she tried she was sure nothing would come to mind.</p>
<p>"Well...? Anything you want to say?" the Doctor walked past her, missing the way Renata rolled her eyes behind him. He had no concept of being modest in anybody. "Any passing remarks? I've heard them all."</p>
<p>"I'm in my nightie," Amy said for some reason then quickly checked herself to make sure it was true. Yes, it was.</p>
<p>"Oh, I've been there," Renata laughed. "But don't worry. Plenty of clothes in the wardrobe."</p>
<p>"You'll love it!" Gabby exclaimed. "I got lost in there the first time I went in. Played dress up!"</p>
<p>Amy's smile seemed permanent at the moment. She gazed at the console with fascination. She could hear a faint hum within it and wondered if that was part of the engines.</p>
<p>"So, Amy," the Doctor called on the other side of the console. "All of time and space, everything that ever happened or ever will...where do you want to start?"</p>
<p>"You are so sure that I'm coming," Amy once again tried playing casual and failed miserably.</p>
<p>"Yeah, I am."</p>
<p>"Why?"</p>
<p>"Because if not he'll just kidnap you," Renata said with a wide smirk on her face that threatened to turned into a laugh as soon as the Doctor huffed.</p>
<p>"We're still doing that!?"</p>
<p>"You kidnapped me," Renata reminded him then looked at a stunned Amy. "Yeah, he kidnapped me. Threw me right over his shoulder and dragged me in here."</p>
<p>The Doctor's mouth was wide open in offence. So that was true...but it didn't mean she had to go telling that to everybody they met. "Oi! You're still here!"</p>
<p>"Because I've been <em>kidnapped!"</em></p>
<p>There may have been a vein protruding across the Doctor's forehead when Renata turned to him. "That was a year ago! When are you going to get over it!?"</p>
<p>"How <em>does</em> somebody get over being kidnapped?" she arched an eyebrow at him, still smirking knowing that she was getting under his skin.</p>
<p>Gabby shook her head at the two—clearly, that hadn't changed at either—and moved around the console to Amy. "So Amy," she pulled the girl's attention away from the bickering couple, "What do you think? It's fun out there...<em>up</em>—" her eyes briefly flickered to the ceiling to refer to space, "—there. I've gone to see the Star of Orion and I've lived in a space gallery. Oh, and I got to go into some interdimensional weird information link thing belonging to a Block Transfer Matrix." Amy blinked wide at such a complicated list. "Where would you like to go first?"</p>
<p>Amy bit her lower lip and glanced at the couple still going back and forth about the kidnapping fiasco - whatever that was. "Can you get me back for tomorrow morning?"</p>
<p>"Of course, it's a time machine," Gabby answered, wondering why Amy would be so specific about that. Maybe she had an appointment? "I won't say 5 minutes like those two over there but you have to know that they <em>do</em> try. Is there something important tomorrow?"</p>
<p>Amy's mouth opened but she didn't know how to put 'I'm getting married tomorrow' into a casual conversation. "Uh...just stuff."</p>
<p>"Alright then," Gabby motioned her to get close to the console. "Wanna see something funny?" Amy nodded. Gabby winked at her then took over the controls. The Doctor had long ago taught her how to pilot the TARDIS in case of emergencies. She had the laugh of her life, as well as Amy, when the TARDIS lurched and sent both Renata and the Doctor to the ground.</p>
<p>Serves them right for still bickering when they had a new passenger aboard.</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <strong>Author's Note:</strong>
</p>
<p>Didn't I say we'd get to see the previous Renata's final moments? We finally get closure and a hopeful promise for Ren's new life! Will she get it, though? Hmmm...</p>
<p>Okay, so the next chapter is super important for Gabby and Amy and I just now realized that the chapter is 18k? Do you guys want me to separate it into 2 chapters instead? Or give you the whole content in one? xD.</p>
<p>As always, I have a tumblr account dedicated to my fanfic works! It's a place where anyone can comment about a story or even just talk to me! I often drop aesthetic work belonging to my stories too! Feel free to check it out, my URL is <strong>"saiilorstars"</strong></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Through the Eyes of the Companions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Amy Pond has her first trip in space with the travelers, this time with Gabby Gonzalez too. As they begin to investigate a strange ship that shouldn't be flying at all, Gabby tells Amy the truth about the travels and the danger with the Doctor and Renata.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Amy felt like she was dreaming. Dreaming would be the only rational explanation of how she was floating in <em>outer space</em>. But then she would look down to see the Doctor holding her ankle and she remembered that it was all <em>real</em>.</p>
<p>"Come on, Pond," he gently pulled her back inside the TARDIS. "Now do you believe us?"</p>
<p>Amy clung to him as she laughed and glanced back to outer space. "Okay, yeah, your box is a spaceship. It's really, really a spaceship. We are in space! Whoo! What are we breathing?"</p>
<p>"I know, I asked that too on my first day," Gabby said from the console. She was loving Amy's reaction to the TARDIS. Now she completely understood why the Doctor loved that bit. The only one who was more calm was, unsurprisingly, Renata.</p>
<p>The Time Lady would just smile and chuckle every time Amy made a remark about everything being real. Gabby had no idea how Renata could be like that.</p>
<p>"We've extended the air shell, we're fine," Renata reassured Amy.</p>
<p>Amy was about to remark when she saw something curious below them. "What is <em>that</em>!?"</p>
<p>At her tone, Renata assumed there was something wrong and rushed towards the door. Gabby followed in suit.</p>
<p>The Doctor was already investigating from his spot but he didn't look concerned. He straightened on his feet. "Now, that's interesting. 29th Century!" He walked for the console, taking Renata with him on the way. She only let him because he wouldn't be so calm if it was nothing. "Solar flares roast the earth, and the entire human race packs its bags and moves out till the weather improves. Whole nations…"</p>
<p>"Um, Doctor?" Amy started to call, not that either Time Lord would notice.</p>
<p>The Doctor currently had Renata's back against his chest, locking her between the console and himself. He was maneuvering the controls but was using any excuse to touch Renata. She knew it, and she had absolutely no protest in mind.</p>
<p>"..migrating to the stars…"</p>
<p>"Doctor?" Amy called again to no avail.</p>
<p>"Isn't that amazing?"</p>
<p>"I think their endeavor to survive are very admirable," Renata remarked, chuckling when she received a kiss on the cheek. Trying to find any excuse to land a kiss on her was also on his to-do list. She didn't have any protest about that either.</p>
<p>"Doctor!" Amy's call finally got their attention.</p>
<p>The two Time Lords looked over to the door to see Amy poking her head out.</p>
<p>"Where's Gabby?" Renata immediately noticed they were short one American. She hurried towards the door while the Doctor calmly walked behind her. He was hearing Gabby's and Amy's quiet argument.</p>
<p>"I want another turn!" Amy was poking her head out of the TARDIS, her hand clearly hanging onto Gabby's ankle.</p>
<p>"You just had a turn, shut up!" Gabby properly snapped. She was having too much fun floating in space. She'd never done that!</p>
<p>Amy huffed with a pout. "C'mon!"</p>
<p>"No!"</p>
<p>"They seem to be getting along," the Doctor's comment didn't even pass over the two humans. He came to stand by Renata who was shaking her head at them both. "Gabbs! Pond! I've found us a spaceship!"</p>
<p>~0~</p>
<p>Eventually, Gabby and Amy were pulled from the door (though not without promising that they'd both get 'another turn' later). The Doctor had pulled up the floating spaceship on the monitor for them to see.</p>
<p>"This is the United Kingdom of Britain and Northern Ireland - all of it, bolted together and floating in the sky. Starship UK. It's Britain, but metal. That's not just a ship - that's an idea! That's a whole country, living and laughing and...shopping! Searching the stars for a new home!"</p>
<p>"Oh that's cool," Gabby remarked with a laugh. "Any chance the States are floating out there too?"</p>
<p>"Never mind that, can we go out and see?" Amy eagerly watched the screen change through different images of the so called Space Britain.</p>
<p>"Course we can but first, there's a thing…"</p>
<p>Amy looked up from the monitor to see the Doctor suddenly serious. "A thing?"</p>
<p>"An important thing. In fact, thing one..." the Doctor made a show of looking at her through a magnifying glass, Donna's old magnifying glass, "We are observers only. That's the one rule I've always stuck to in my travels. I never get involved in the affairs of other peoples or planets."</p>
<p>"Oh my <em>God</em>," Renata suddenly gasped, sounding like she was absolutely terrified. Everyone looked at her to see her covering her mouth.</p>
<p>The Doctor instantly got worried. "Renée, what is it?"</p>
<p>"You…" she touched his arm and he quickly grabbed her hand, nodding her to go on. "...are an even bigger liar than before!"</p>
<p>The Doctor's face fell flat while Gabby burst into laughter. Amy wasn't sure how to react so she kept watching silently. Renata then smirked at him.</p>
<p>"That was not funny," the Doctor dropped her hand to wag a finger at her.</p>
<p>"Neither were you lying through your teeth!"</p>
<p>"I wasn't lying!" Yes, yes he was.</p>
<p>"I've known you for centuries, do not stand there and lie to me!"</p>
<p>Amy's eyes widened at the <em>centuries</em>. How old were they!?</p>
<p>"I'm not lying!" the Doctor insisted. He was too far gone now to go back.</p>
<p>Renata decided to save her breath after catching an interesting sight on the monitor. She turned the monitor so he could see a little girl sitting alone, crying her eyes out. It was a sight he wouldn't be able to resist.</p>
<p>It reeled him to the screen alright. "Ooh! That's interesting!" he even forgot about what he was arguing for.</p>
<p>"So we're like a wildlife documentary, yeah?" Amy tried making the analogy to understand the rules better. "Cos if they see a wounded little cub or something, they can't just save it - they've got to keep filming and let it die."</p>
<p>The Doctor did a semi-nod but he hadn't been listening to a word she was saying. He only caught Renata's second smirk when he pulled her towards the door. <em>Yeah, alright, she got him.</em></p>
<p>Amy leaned closer to the screen and couldn't help feel sorry for the little crying girl. "That's got to be hard. I don't think I could do that. Don't you find that hard - being all, like, detached and cold?" Of course she stopped when the Doctor himself appeared on screen waving at her! Amy did a double take at the screen. "Doctor!?"</p>
<p>Gabby sighed beside her. "He does that. And Renata can only do so much about it. C'mon!" She rushed towards the doors, leaving Amy to follow.</p>
<p><em>'Welcome to London Market. You are being monitored,' </em>a tannoy was speaking over when the two girls emerged from the TARDIS.</p>
<p>While Gabby was taking it all in a quiet awed way, Amy was gawking. She exhaled a breath hidden in her lungs as she stared at the arched glass ceiling that gave her a perfect view of the stars. When her neck finally started hurting from gazing upwards too long, Amy took in what was on the ground. Their path was lined by stalls and booths all trying to make business with things Amy wasn't sure about.</p>
<p>"I'm in the future. Like hundreds...of years in the future," Amy laughed for a brief second before a new thought popped into her. "I've been dead for centuries."</p>
<p>"That's not exactly something you should be thinking about," Renata said as she and the Doctor walked up to them. Of all the things Amy could've said, she really went with <em>that</em>?</p>
<p>"It <em>does </em>cross your mind," Gabby remarked from her own experiences. It earned herself a grateful smile from Amy while a surprised expression from the Time Lords. "What? It does."</p>
<p>"Never mind dead, look at this place. Isn't it wrong?" the Doctor went straight to business. He hadn't expected for something wrong to appear since this was really meant to be a nice trip for Amy, but he wouldn't act surprised about it either.</p>
<p>Amy, however, shot him a disbelieving look. "What's wrong?" Everything seemed perfect around them! People were bustling with their daily tasks and the sellers seemed to be in a good selling mood with those loud yells for customers to stop by their stalls. What could possibly be wrong?</p>
<p>"He's right," Renata said, seemingly knowing what Amy was thinking. "Be studious and look at everything. Notice the small things."</p>
<p>"Kind of like 'Find Waldo'," Gabby said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Except in this case Waldo is the wrong thing we're looking for." Renata sent the girl a confused smile that made Gabby blink with realization. "I'm starting to sound like him, aren't I?" On the side, the Doctor grinned at himself.</p>
<p>"It was bound to happen after spending too much with him," Renata shrugged.</p>
<p>Gabby dropped her arms to her sides as she wondered if this was good or bad. From her perspective, she'd been travelling with them for about a year now. At first, she spent a lot of time between them and Donna but after Donna's memories were wiped and Renata fell ill, Gabby found a lot of her time was spent with the Doctor. She helped him in whatever she could and during those 6 months of Renata's illness, the Doctor worked fervently at creating a cure. Gabby learned a lot about mathematics, science and Time Lord biology and physiology. She wanted to help so she needed to start by learning the details that made up the big picture. It was there that the Doctor would go into full detail about whatever he was using that day to hopefully create a cure.</p>
<p>Plus, they were together for a <em>long</em> time. They traveled together to pick things up so natutally they talked a lot. It was impossible not to pick up a few things from him in all that time. She got to know him better - he taught her how to drive the TARDIS - and she learned a few of his secrets that few, or none, of his companions had known.</p>
<p>"Wouldn't have it any other way," Gabby finally resolved and laughed when the Doctor's grin widened.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Amy had been trying to be as studious as Renata told her to be. She was gazing at every stall, see what they were selling, the mannerisms of people, etc. It was just a lot to take in for someone who had only just known about the future. "Uh, is it...the bicycles?" Her finger languidly pointed to the rickshaw nearby. "Bit unusual on a spaceship, bicycles."</p>
<p>"Says the girl in the nightie," the Doctor remarked, not that he cared what she wore. Of course it elicited a gasp from Amy.</p>
<p>"Oh, my God! I'm in my nightie!"</p>
<p>Renata elbowed the Doctor on his side. "Please don't make her self conscious. We didn't exactly give her time to change." She then cast a glance in Amy's direction. "Don't worry Amy, I've been there myself. It was pretty bad, I was in <em>the</em> place of all places. The Shadow Proclamation!"</p>
<p>"Space police," Gabby translated just as Amy opened her mouth to ask.</p>
<p>"And I met the <em>head</em> of the space police," Renata shuddered as she remembered. "At least you're in place where they don't really care what you're wearing."</p>
<p>The Doctor rolled his eyes. They were missing the big picture with all the nonsense talk about clothes! "Now, come on, look around you. Actually look. Life on a giant starship, back to basics. Bicycles, washing lines, wind-up street lamps. But look closer. Secrets and shadows, lives led in fear. Society bent out of shape, on the brink of collapse. A police state - excuse me!" He'd run off towards a table where two people were having lunch.</p>
<p>"Doc…" Renata reached a hand out but she was too late. He'd taken the couple's glass of water to put on the ground.</p>
<p>Gabby watched in amusement but Amy was so confused about what he was doing. "He does that a lot too," Gabby whispered to the ginger.</p>
<p>The Doctor took a quick look at the <em>still </em>water, exchanged a look with Renata, then returned the glass to the couple. "Sorry. Checking all the water in this area," he explained to their poor confused faces. "There's an, uh...escaped fish!" He tapped the side of his nose and returned to others.</p>
<p>Renata exchanged another glance with him, silently confirming she'd seen it too. The still water.</p>
<p>"Why did you just do that with the water?" Amy asked him, but not before glancing at Gabby to see if she would say that he did that for some odd alien reason. Gabby did not because she was just as puzzled as Amy.</p>
<p>"Don't know. I think a lot. It's hard to keep track," the Doctor passively remarked. "Now, police state - do you see it yet?"</p>
<p>"Where?" Amy had seen a lot of things so far but she didn't remember police anywhere.</p>
<p>"There!"</p>
<p>Amy followed the Doctor's pointing finger to the little girl crying at a bench all by herself. He led the way to the other empty bench across from the girl. He took a seat next to Renata while Amy took the other end and Gabby decided to sit on the bench's arm rest next to the Doctor.</p>
<p>"One little girl crying. So?" Amy wondered what was so important about the sight. Little girls cried all the time.</p>
<p>"The madness," Renata huffed as she crossed her arms. She was shaking her head disapprovingly. "There is a little girl crying and nobody has stopped to ask her what's wrong."</p>
<p>"Maybe because it's nothing truly bad?" Amy tried but it was apparently the wrong answer.</p>
<p>"She's crying silently, Amy," the Doctor said as if it was supposed to mean something to her with that brief explanation. "I mean, children cry cos they want attention, cos they're hurt or afraid. When they cry silently, it's cos they just can't stop. Any parent knows that."</p>
<p>Amy studied his long gaze on the little girl then moved onto Renata. There was something similar in both their expressions but Amy was sure they were different at the same time. The Doctor looked as if he was remembering, and judging by his explanation Amy was willing to bet he was speaking from experience. Renata, on the other hand, was close to crying. There was something terribly sad in the woman's eyes that wasn't really the same as what was in the Doctor's eyes. It was so interesting...</p>
<p>"Are you parents?" she finally asked them.</p>
<p>Gabby watched the two Time Lords stiffen at the question and when they moved on without acknowledging it, she wasn't very surprised. She herself didn't exactly know the story of each of their children's backgrounds but she knew how it ended. The Doctor's children had all grown up and died in the Time War while Renata's unborn child died in her womb after regenerating during the Time War. That would always be one of the stories that they could never open up about with her. And that was totally fine. Gabby was just happy that they could share with each other and help ease their pain.</p>
<p>"Hundreds of parents walking past this spot and not one of them's asking her what's wrong, which means...they already know, and it's something they don't talk about," the Doctor was explaining to Amy their way of deductions. It was a good help for when Amy started looking around at the people passing by, she realized that none of them even batted an eye at the crying girl.</p>
<p>"Bloody secrets," Renata spat. She would absolutely hate them after everything it put her through. "They're choosing not to help her so it must mean they're afraid of something."</p>
<p>"Like what?" Amy asked.</p>
<p>"Shadows - whatever they're afraid of - it's nowhere to be seen, which means it's everywhere. Police state!" the Doctor winked at her now that she finally understood.</p>
<p>None of them noticed when the little girl got up from the bench after a bell rang, a lift bell.</p>
<p>"Where'd she go?" Gabby started looking around and even got up from the bench to do it better.</p>
<p>"Deck 207, Apple Sesame block, Dwelling 54A!" the Doctor had the answer ready to go, which warned himself a confused glance from Gabby.</p>
<p>"You're not psychic," she said as if he was about to use that excuse on her.</p>
<p>"You're looking for Mandy Tanner?"</p>
<p>"Doctor, seriously!"</p>
<p>"Oh alright," he dug into his jacket's pocket to pull out the girl's ID wallet. He tossed it over to Gabby. The girl swiftly caught it and checked the information. "It fell out of her pocket when I accidentally bumped into her."</p>
<p>Now it was Renata giving him a stare next to him. "Four times?" She had seen each of those times and had to question <em>how</em> the hell she was attracted to him. "You stole from a child."</p>
<p>"I borrowed," he corrected. "Because Gabbs and Amy are going to return it."</p>
<p>At the mention of her name, Amy blinked. "Me!?"</p>
<p>But the Doctor had already made up the plan. "Make sure to ask her about those things - the smiling fellows in the booths. They're everywhere!"</p>
<p>Gabby gave a glance to the nearest 'booth' and couldn't help but shudder. They were beyond creepy.</p>
<p>"But they're just things," Amy remarked as she got up from the bench.</p>
<p>"They're very <em>clean </em>things," Renata pointed out. "Everything else here is battered and filthy - look at this place. But no one's laid a finger on those booths. Not a footprint within two feet of them. Ask Mandy, 'Why are people scared of the things in the booths?' I'm sure the answer will be interesting."</p>
<p>"Got it!" Gabby answered with a grin. Amy whipped her head in Gabby's direction, not needing to ask what her face was already conveying. "You'll be fine, Amy. It's how it goes."</p>
<p>"I don't know what I'm doing here and I'm not even dressed!"</p>
<p>"Unfortunate but it will make for a funny story later on," Renata gave the girl a smile.</p>
<p>"It's this or Leadworth," the Doctor reminded her, something that did make Amy stop for a moment. "What do you think? Let's see. What will Amy Pond choose? Ha-ha, gotcha!" He check his watch for the hour. "Meet us back here in half an hour."</p>
<p>"What are you going to do?" Amy asked him. He looked eager to do something alright but Renata seemed...a bit indescribable.</p>
<p>"What I always do. Stay out of trouble."</p>
<p>"Badly," Renata made sure to add. She crossed one leg over the other. "Good luck girls."</p>
<p>"But…" Amy began to say when Gabby reached for her arm.</p>
<p>"C'mon!"</p>
<p>"Stay out of trouble," called Renata.</p>
<p>Gabby snorted. "Right!"</p>
<p>The Doctor smiled as the two girls went off. He was hoping they would get along and it seemed like that would be the case. His smile faltered when he saw Renata staring at him. He wasn't sure what kind of expression was on her face so it made him a bit nervous. This new incarnation would also be giving him those faces it seemed…</p>
<p>"What?" he finally asked when he gave up trying to ready her face.</p>
<p>"I'm just trying to decide how I can be attracted to the likes of you," she had answered so calmly that the Doctor initially didn't quite register what she'd said. "You bumped into a child 4 times to pickpocket her ID wallet."</p>
<p>"Yet you watched me and said nothing," the Doctor bumped shoulders with her. His smirk made her roll her eyes and look away. "Seems to me, love, that you might just be jealous you couldn't do it."</p>
<p>Renata scoffed and once again looked away. "You really think that I'd be jealous I can't pickpocket a <em>child</em>!? Do you remember who I am!?"</p>
<p>"Always!" he kissed her cheek and grabbed her hand, pulling her off the bench. "And I'm going to have so much fun watching how I rub off on you!"</p>
<p>"Oh please," she was close to laughing. "I've known you at your worst - when you had a misdemeanor and was sent to my foundation so I could fix you up," she jabbed her finger on his chest. "You did not rub off on me."</p>
<p>"Oh but I did, tiny bit," the Doctor raised his index finger to his thumb, squinting one of his eyes. "Made you sneak into classrooms, didn't I? Made you run before you got caught, right? That was just a preview. Now you're going to get the full experience!"</p>
<p>"No, I will n-"</p>
<p>"Starting now!" he pulled her into a run despite her shouts for him to let her walk.</p>
<p>~0~</p>
<p>Gabby had let go of Amy's hand once they got into a lift. Mandy's street was in another floor. Gabby calmly pressed the button for level two and watched the elevator doors slide shut.</p>
<p>"Okay, is this how it works then?" Amy had to ask when the elevator tarted going down. Gabby didn't look very concerned about what was going to be on the other side of the doors when they opened again. "Doctor says he never interferes in the affairs of other peoples or planets but then he does when there's children crying?"</p>
<p>"Oh, if there's a child crying he'd stop everything." Gabby stayed quiet for a moment until she snorted so loudly that Amy actually jumped in her spot. "Sorry, sorry," Gabby laughed. "It's just...I guess this is what I was like on my first trip, though instead of the Doctor I was like that with Renata. I'm her companion."</p>
<p>"What, they have specific companions?" Amy asked, eyes darting to the side as she wondered who's companion she was then. A little voice inside her head might have, for a moment, wished it'd be the Doctor.</p>
<p>"Sort of but not really at the same time." Gabby led the way out of the elevator and checked the ID wallet again for the address. She then made a turn down the left corridor. "It's just like that I guess. But listen, one thing you should know about the Doctor is that he lies. He doesn't do it to be rude or just plain mean, he does it to protect us. Trust me, I've been there and I know what it's like. So when he says that he doesn't interfere…"</p>
<p>"He's really saying the opposite?" Amy presumed and confirmed she was right when Gabby threw her a smile.</p>
<p>"Now you're getting it."</p>
<p>"And what about Renata? She seems very different from the Doctor…"</p>
<p>Once again, Gabby snorted. "That's an understatement. She's the polar opposite of the Doctor. He doesn't like rules, she does. The Doctor is all over the place while Renata likes her routines. She actually makes us dinner every night after each of our trips."</p>
<p>"Like a Mum?" Amy was close to laughing. For some reason she couldn't quite picture that scene involving a normal dinner between the aliens. She thought back to when they had crashed into her backyard and they had a strange midnight meal.</p>
<p>"I know, I thought it was weird too," Gabby confessed and shared a laugh with Amy. "The Doctor sitting for dinner?" They laughed even louder. "But it's fun, trust me."</p>
<p>Amy studied the girl for a moment while they walked. Gabby definitely seemed to know what she was doing unlike herself who was more nervous than ever. While she fidgeted in the unknown corridors, Gabby merely looked around to make sure they weren't being cast suspicious stares from the locals. "How long have you been travelling with them?"</p>
<p>"Um, I think for a year now. I was 19 when I met them and Don…" A visible trace of hurt crossed Gabby's face all of a sudden. It brought her to a slow stop in the middle of the corridor.</p>
<p>"Are you alright?" Amy wondered what had made Gabby's face turn like that. She'd been happy just seconds ago.</p>
<p>Gabby blinked out of her trance and shook her head for good measure. "Yeah, sorry. I just realized it's been a year since I met a friend that I can never see again."</p>
<p>"Oh…" Amy wasn't sure how to respond to that. To be fair, she hadn't known how to respond to nearly everything that had been happening to her these past two hours.</p>
<p>"Her name was Donna," Gabby started explaining, her voice low. "She, um, she was the companion before me - well, she came just a bit before they bumped into me. She sort of helped me process everything about the Doctor and Renata, the travels, the TARDIS...she helped me through it."</p>
<p>"What happened to her?" Amy quietly asked, already presuming the story did not have a good ending. Otherwise, that woman would still be around and Gabby wouldn't look so mortified.</p>
<p>"Bad things," Gabby bit on her lower lip. "Bad things that I can't help but wonder if they could've been avoided had I done something about it." It was one recurring thought she kept having about Donna's ending. She had been there when Donna touched the Doctor's severed hand, she should have done something to hold Donna back! If she had, then Donna would still be with them traveling. They would still be the small space family they had formed.</p>
<p>"Is she dead?" Amy's question was a mere whisper, now scared herself that this might be how she ends up if she wasn't careful.</p>
<p>"No...just her memories about us," Gabby sighed. "Something happened and the Doctor had to wipe her memories about all of us, everything about the travels. She can't remember us or else she'll truly die and we can never see her again." She blinked away the tears when she felt Amy's hand touch her shoulder. The ginger was giving her a sympathetic look, clearly wanting to help but having no idea how to do it.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry…"</p>
<p>"No, it's just…" Gabby felt like she needed to be honest with Amy, be upfront about the reality of things. "Renata and the Doctor are wonderful people and they try their best to keep people like us safe, but the truth is that sometimes...they can't. Things can get very dangerous around them, Amy, and you have to understand that they will try their best—they will literally give up their lives for us—but sometimes...there are moments where they can't win. If you want to travel with them, then you have to be aware of the risks you're taking. Do you?"</p>
<p>Amy swallowed thickly. Of course she hadn't truly thought about the implications of travelling with the Doctor and Renata. Right now, all she could think of was that she was in the future, on a spaceship! But that was normal, this was her first adventure! Gabby had been on dozens and dozens, she was more experienced. But Amy couldn't help but doubt Gabby a little. Maybe she was trying to scare her off? Go back to being the only companion in the TARDIS?</p>
<p><em>Or maybe she's trying to keep you from being the next Donna</em>? Amy made a face at herself. She didn't know Gabby enough to trust her but why would Gabby make up a story like that? What if it was true? She would have to be very careful even when things were seemed like a lot of fun.</p>
<p>"Amy?" Gabby touched Amy's arm, figuring that Amy was processing everything she'd said. "I know it's a lot. Take it slow and if you have any questions, any doubts, something you just want to get off your chest...I'm here. That's what Donna was for me and I'd like to be that for you." She offered Amy a smile that, little by little, Amy returned.</p>
<p>The companions had to stick together, right?</p>
<p>"You're following me," they suddenly heard a high voice tell them. They looked ahead to see Mandy glaring at them. "Saw you watching me at the marketplace."</p>
<p>"You dropped this?" Gabby held the ID wallet and winced when she realized she made it a question. So much for being assertive.</p>
<p>Mandy scoffed. "Yeah, when your friend kept bumping into me."</p>
<p>Gabby inwardly shook her head at the Doctor. No matter what incarnation, he would never get a clue about how to be discreet.</p>
<p>"Hey, what's that?" Amy noticed a part of the street was surrounded by barriers. It had flashing red lights warning people to stay away. Amy didn't miss the weary look Mandy gave the restricted area.</p>
<p>"There's a hole. We have to go back."</p>
<p>"A hole?" Gabby and Amy simultaneously asked, neither believing it was just that. A hole didn't need all those flash lights.</p>
<p>They got closer to it and noticed the flashing lights of a shop Magpie Electrical.</p>
<p>Many shook her head at them. "Hey, are you stupid? There's a hole in the road! We can't go that way!" But neither girl listened to her. "There's a travel pipe down by the airlocks, if you've got stamps. What are you doing?"</p>
<p>"Oh, don't mind us, just looking," Gabby tried moving around the so-called hole but found that the entire area was sealed off.</p>
<p>"I never could resist a 'keep out' sign," Amy admitted as she planted herself on the ground right in front of the locked gates.</p>
<p>Gabby poked her head from around the gate, shooting Amy a smirk. "You're definitely getting it."</p>
<p>Neither of them saw Mandy casting a fearful glance at one of the booths with smiley faces. Smilers, they called them, but Mandy thought they were terrifying clowns. "Nobody knows. We're not supposed to talk about it."</p>
<p>"Talk about what?" Gabby asked her as she returned to Amy's side.</p>
<p>"Below…"</p>
<p>"Hm, I think that's been your number one mistake then." Gabby sat down next to Amy and examined the lock. "What do we got?"</p>
<p>"A hair pin?" Amy suggested as she pulled out one of her own hair pins.</p>
<p>Gabby grinned. "Point one for Amy Pond!" Amy laughed and started working on the lock.</p>
<p>"You sound Scottish, and you you sound American," Mandy noted after truly listening to them discuss how to open the lock.</p>
<p>"Cos we are," Amy glanced over her shoulder. "What's wrong with that? Scotland's got to be here somewhere. And America, right?"</p>
<p>"Well, America has their own ship. Obviously. And Scotland wanted one too."</p>
<p>"Good for them. Nothing changes."</p>
<p>"So...how did you get here?" Mandy asked, eyeing the girls' backs suspiciously. They hardly ever got foreigners on their ship and much less foreigners with an interest on breaking the rules.</p>
<p>"Oh, we're just passing through," Gabby shrugged her shoulders. She tilted the lock so that Amy could maneuver the hairpin better.</p>
<p>"With your parents?"</p>
<p>Gabby laughed when she realized Mandy must have meant Renata and the Doctor. "Oh no! They're not our - they're not my parents!" And yet the ironic part was that in their last incarnations, everyone joked about the same thing. She could be their daughter but Gabby, as well as the Time Lords, pointed out that she looked nothing like them but ow that they regenerated into <em>younger</em> bodies, Renata's new appearance could actually pass her off as Gabby's mother. Funny how things worked.</p>
<p>"Hey, hey, result!" Amy cheered when the lock clicked opened.</p>
<p>"Awesome!" Gabby high-fived with her then glanced back at Mandy. "Coming?"</p>
<p>Mandy shook her head fervently. "No!"</p>
<p>"Suit yourself," Amy said and decided to crawl into the tent first.</p>
<p>"Amy, you should have let me go in first," Gabby said as she squeezed her way next to the ginger. "Never know what you could find."</p>
<p>Mandy gasped when she saw the Smiler booth near them spin to show a third face. It was terrifying. "Stop!" she called to the girls in horror. "You mustn't do that!"</p>
<p>"Oh but I think we should," Gabby remarked slowly once they were fully inside. The inside of the tent was flashing emergency red lights. It was creepy alright.</p>
<p>Amy found a torch nearby and turned it on. She froze when she saw something squishy sticking out of the hole on the ground. "Is that...is that a tentacle?" she squinted her eyes through the darkness.</p>
<p>Gabby flipped her head in her direction and blinked at the sight. She scurried next to Amy to have a better look. "I think...I think so, yeah…"</p>
<p>The 'tentacle' suddenly struck at them, eliciting a scream from the two. They whirled around and rushed out of the tent, crawling out messily. Once they saw the light on the other side, they met a group of black hooded men surrounding them.</p>
<p>"Uh...hello?" Gabby managed to crack a smile before one of them sprayed her and Amy with a type of gas that sent them into darkness.</p>
<p>~ 0 ~</p>
<p>"Don't you think we'll get caught sneaking around restricted areas?" Renata asked as she climbed down a ladder's last step.</p>
<p>The Doctor was right above her and went down the last step. "What makes you think it's restricted?"</p>
<p>Renata flapped an arm to the empty corridor. "I don't know, just a hunch!"</p>
<p>The Doctor shrugged it off and pressed an ear to the wall. There nothing but silence there. "Nothing."</p>
<p>"Well that's not possible," Renata folded her arms, staring at the wall wearily. Something had to be driving this ship so naturally, there should be engines running.</p>
<p>The Doctor used his sonic to scan the immediate area but even the scans told him there was nothing there.</p>
<p>"Interesting…" He heard Renata murmur. He gazed up from his sonic to see the Time Lady inching towards a single glass of water on the ground.</p>
<p>"You do realize that could very well be a trap, right?" he called after her.</p>
<p>"Maybe you're already rubbing off on me, then," she smiled distractedly as she bent down in front of the glass. The water wasn't moving at all.</p>
<p>"Renée," the Doctor moved to her side and held a hand for her to straighten up.</p>
<p>"The water, it's not—"</p>
<p>"The impossible truth in a glass of water," a strange female whisper startled them.</p>
<p>The Doctor pulled Renata behind him, eyes shooting everywhere to find the source of the new voice. He found a red-cloaked woman with a white mask over her face.</p>
<p>"Not many people see it. But you do, don't you, Doctor? Renata?"</p>
<p>At the mention of their names, Renata pushed the Doctor aside and demanded the woman to explain. "How do you know our names?"</p>
<p>The woman merely put a finger to her masked lips. "Keep your voice down. They're everywhere. Tell me what you see in the glass."</p>
<p>"Well, if you don't answer our questions, why should we answer yours?" Renata challenged.</p>
<p>"Don't waste time! At the marketplace, you, Doctor, placed a glass of water on the floor, looked at it, then came straight here to the engine room. Why?"</p>
<p>The Doctor sighed and answered. "No engine vibration on deck. Ship this size, engine this big, you'd feel it. The water would move. So...I thought we should take a look." He moved to a nearby power box on the wall and opened it up. The wires were there, alright, but nothing was working. "It doesn't make sense. These power couplings, they're not connected. Look. Look - they're dummies, see? And behind those walls, nothing. It's hollow. If I didn't know better, I'd say there was…"</p>
<p>"No engine at all," the woman nodded, clearly already having reached that conclusion.</p>
<p>"And yet the ship is travelling through space like nothing," Renata eyed the woman's mannerisms as much as she could. Something was...familiar about her. "We saw it, so it means somebody's lying through their teeth around here."</p>
<p>"The impossible truth," the woman hummed. "We're travelling among the stars in a spaceship that could never fly."</p>
<p>"How?" the Doctor demanded as if she already reached that conclusion as well.</p>
<p>"I don't know. There's a darkness at the heart of this nation. It threatens every one of us. Help us, Doctor, Renata. You're our only hope. Your friends are safe." The woman held out a device for them to take.</p>
<p>"What do you mean?" Renata immediately stiffened. She glanced at the Doctor, both quickly worrying over what the woman meant.</p>
<p>"This will take you to them," the woman promised them. "Now go, quickly!" She forced the device into the Doctor's hands then turned away.</p>
<p>"Oh no, who are you?" demanded Renata. "You're noble, right?" the woman paused, turning sideways but kept quiet. "I'd recognize those movements anywhere. You've been trained to walk and talk like somebody from a higher class. So, who are you?"</p>
<p>"Mm," the woman sounded impressed, but not surprised. "It's true what they say about, then."</p>
<p>"What is?" Once again, Renata exchanged glances with the Doctor as if he would know what the woman was talking about. He didn't and he didn't like that this woman knew Renata when they didn't. He wasn't able to trust that she wouldn't hurt them.</p>
<p>"You. Your like a Noble yourself despite the fantastic lies you manage to create."</p>
<p>Renata's face paled in two seconds flat.</p>
<p>"Then again, isn't that what all Nobles tend to do?"</p>
<p>The Doctor pulled Renata behind him, shooting daggers at the cloaked woman across them. "Stop that!" he snapped. Who did this woman think she was talking to Renata like that?</p>
<p>"It's alright, I didn't say it to offend. I know how things work."</p>
<p>"That's not who I am anymore," Renata weakly tried to argue but it was hard getting past the fact that even a <em>stranger</em> knew about her terrible habit. "I don't—"</p>
<p>The Doctor barred her from getting any closer to the woman. "You do <em>not</em> have to explain yourself to this woman."</p>
<p>"I'll see you around," the cloaked woman said, making it clear that this wouldn't be their last meeting. Although now the Doctor was even less inclined to see her again.</p>
<p>~0~</p>
<p>When Amy and Gabby woke up, they each found themselves in a small room with four monitors resembling old retro televisions. Amy screeched when she saw another of the Smilers booths inside with her.</p>
<p>She jumped out of her chair and went to the door, banging on it for someone to get her out. "Help! Help!"</p>
<p>
  <em>'Welcome to voting cubicle 330C. Please leave this installation as you would wish to find it.'</em>
</p>
<p>Amy whirled around and saw the monitors had come to life. Her eyes widened and quickly took another scan of the room. It was just her inside, nobody else.</p>
<p>"Gabby?" she tried to call but no one answered</p>
<p>
  <em>'The United Kingdom recognises the right to know of all its citizens…'</em>
</p>
<p>Amy left the door and drifted up to the monitors, taking notice of three large buttons in front of her. One said 'protest', the middle 'record' and the last 'forget'.</p>
<p>
  <em>'A presentation concerning the history of Starship UK will begin shortly. Your identity is being verified on our electoral roll.'</em>
</p>
<p>Amy let herself fall back into the chair behind her. Her fear was momentarily taken away when the monitor showed her name along with her age.</p>
<p><em>'Name - Amelia Jessica Pond. 'Age - 1,306</em>.'</p>
<p>Amy laughed. "Oh my God! Shut up!"</p>
<p>
  <em>'Marital status…'</em>
</p>
<p>That one made Amy pause.</p>
<p>
  <em>'Unknown.'</em>
</p>
<p>For some reason, that might have relieved her a bit. It wasn't like she was trying to forget marrying Rory, but it wasn't something she was going to be thinking about while she was on a <em>spaceship</em> in the <em>future</em>!</p>
<p>
  <em>'You are here because you want to know the truth about this starship, and I am talking to you because you're entitled to know…'</em>
</p>
<p>Amy once again straightened up as the presenter spoke about whatever he was. She wondered if this is what Gabby was being subjected to as well.</p>
<p>
  <em>'When this presentation has finished, you will have a choice. You may either protest...or forget. If you choose to protest, understand this. If just 1% of the population of this ship do likewise, the program will be discontinued, with consequences for you all. If you choose to accept the situation - and we hope that you will - then press the "forget" button. All the information I am about to give you will be erased from your memory. You will continue to enjoy the safety and amenities of Starship UK, unburdened by the knowledge of what has been done to save you. Here, then, is the truth about Starship UK, and the price that has been paid for the safety of the British people. May God have mercy on our souls.'</em>
</p>
<p>Amy gulped. What could this video contain that people would willingly choose to forget? Whatever it was, it was about to appear on her screen next.</p>
<p>~0~</p>
<p>Gabby banged endlessly against the door keeping her locked in the small room. "Let me out! I said let me out!" she yelled in vain. She angrily turned around and walked back to the monitors. She studied the three buttons in front of her and wondered why the hell her only options were 'protest', 'record' and 'forget'.</p>
<p>"Where's the 'let me go' button!?" she banged against the monitor, ignoring the pain it caused against her fist. "Can you hear me in there!?"</p>
<p>She switched gears and started pressing any button she could find. She truly felt like the Doctor swiping her hands over each button, no matter how small they were, but even with all that effort none of the screens came to life.</p>
<p>"Well!?" she waited for something to happen. She <em>had </em>pressed a lot of buttons. One of them had to do something!</p>
<p>But nothing ever did.</p>
<p>Gabby was <em>furious</em>! First, they spray her with some kind of knock-out gas, then they place her in some type of television room where she was obviously supposed to watch something, and they don't even let her see it!?</p>
<p>She ran back to the door, this time pounding against the metal with all her might. "Let me out! Let me out! I said…" All of a sudden, her hands glowed a strong purple, reminiscent of the way they had back on the Crucible. "LET ME OUT!" Once her hands made contact with the door, they forced the door off its hinges. Gabby toppled over it and landed unceremoniously on the ground.</p>
<p>"How did you do that!?" Mandy, who'd been stuck waiting outside the two rooms, scurried to help Gabby get up. She didn't even understand what she'd just seen except a strong purple glow with a few butterflies of the same color. That had to be wrong, right?</p>
<p>"Gabriella!" they heard Renata's cry just seconds before the Time Lady reached them.</p>
<p>"Gabbs, what happened!?" the Doctor helped pick the girl up. He eyed the fallen door on the ground and then the doorless room behind them.</p>
<p>"I-I don't know! I...Amy!" Gabby frantically pointed at the next room with its door still very much attached. "She's in there! She's got to be!"</p>
<p>"How did you—" Renata's question was cut off when the door to Amy's just slid open.</p>
<p>The Doctor hurried inside, only catching Amy turning the monitor off. She had no idea when she recorded a video warning herself to get them off the ship but who's to say that it wasn't another trick?</p>
<p>"Gabriella, it's important you tell us what happened," Renata said as she helped Gabby walk towards the bench Mandy had waited on.</p>
<p>"I-I-I don't remember, they...there were these hooded people and they-they sprayed us!"</p>
<p>Amy gave a confirming nod. "Yeah, I remember that but...that's pretty much it." She cast another look inside the room where the Doctor was now hastily scanning all the monitors. "I don't remember."</p>
<p>Renata thought that was weird and waited for Gabby to say the same thing, but of course Gabby didn't. Her experience had been completely different.</p>
<p>"None of the monitors turned on even after I pressed all the buttons but nothing turned on."</p>
<p>"What?" Mandy frowned. "You didn't a see a video?"</p>
<p>"What video?" both Renata and Gabby asked.</p>
<p>"The video that everyone watches in there!"</p>
<p>Renata looked down at Gabby but she shook her head. "Nothing turned on for me…"</p>
<p>Renata then glanced at Amy. The ginger seemed out of it. "I can't remember…"</p>
<p>"So she can't remember if she watched it and you-" Renata met Gabby's nervous eyes, "-just couldn't watch it?" This made absolutely no sense so she left Gabby on the bench and walked into the room with the Doctor. She heard Mandy once again question Gabby how she was able to get around watching the video, but Renata thought the answer would be in the room. "Tell me you've got something."</p>
<p>The Doctor was standing on the chair using the sonic on a lamp above. "Yeah, your basic memory wipe job. Must have erased about 20 minutes."</p>
<p>"Memory wipe?" Renata eyed the three buttons in front of the monitors.</p>
<p>"But why would I choose to forget?" Amy poked her head inside the room.</p>
<p>"Cos everyone does," Mandy called from the bench. She had taken a seat next to Gabby. "Everyone chooses the "forget" button."</p>
<p>"But I didn't even get that option!" Gabby exclaimed. Her reminder made the Doctor scurried out of the room and into the one Gabby had been in.</p>
<p>"Alright, so have you watched this video." Renata stopped by the bench to ask Mandy.</p>
<p>"I'm not eligible to vote yet. I'm 12. Any time after you're 16, you're allowed to the see the film and make your choice. And then, once every five years…"</p>
<p>Renata sighed with understanding. "And once every five years, everyone chooses to forget what they've learned. Democracy in action. Lovely." She moved into the second room, prompting the others to follow.</p>
<p>"How do you not know about this? Are you Scottish too?" Mandy asked the pair while they got in front of the monitors.</p>
<p>"Oh, we're way worse than Scottish," the Doctor moved the buttons much like Gabby had and saw none of them responded to him. "We can't even see the movie. Won't play for us."</p>
<p>"Like me?" Gabby blinked. She glanced at Amy and saw how puzzled she was now.</p>
<p>"It played for <em>me</em>…"</p>
<p>The Doctor gave a small nod but there was a type of grimness in his face that didn't go unnoticed by Gabby.</p>
<p>"What is it?" she pressed for the answer. "Doctor?"</p>
<p>Renata had reached the same realization and glanced between themselves and Gabby. "Oh, Gabriella…"</p>
<p>"What is it?" frowned the girl, demanding to know what they'd figured out.</p>
<p>The Doctor licked his lips nervously. He didn't want to scare her but he also knew that Gabby wouldn't let them go without hearing it. "The difference being the computer doesn't accept us...as human."</p>
<p>Gabby's entire body instantly froze. She had locked eyes with the Doctor and waited for him to say to add that he had meant him and Renata. They were Time Lords, not her. She was <em>human</em>! She wasn't some alien! She then checked Renata's reaction, but the Time Lady didn't seem so shocked about it. She was checking her hands which prompted Gabby to do the same.</p>
<p>She'd knocked the door off its hinges. <em>How</em> could she do that? Could it be that the Cosmic Butterfly wasn't completely gone from her system? She hadn't experienced any of its power since she first used it on the Crucible. Sure there'd been instances of a few non-human feelings, like the time she'd felt the connection with Renata as the Time Lady had expelled Vortex energy against the Assessor and the Time Lords, but that's all it'd been: feelings. She thought the Cosmic Butterfly would be a one time thing...but what if it wasn't? What if it was dormant and residing in her body until she needed it again?</p>
<p><em>I needed to get out of this room</em>, she glanced at the doorless threshold.</p>
<p>"I'm so confused, I thought you said you were human?" Amy was now staring at Gabby like she had sprouted horns.</p>
<p>"I thought I was…" Gabby helplessly looked at Renata.</p>
<p>Renata had set aside her own questions to give Gabby some reassurance. "We'll run some tests as soon as we get back to the TARDIS. But don't worry, this doesn't mean you're in any kind of danger." It actually made her curious to know what kind of readings Gabby's exams would give.</p>
<p>She froze.</p>
<p>For a moment there, she might have sounded like the Doctor.</p>
<p>Seeing her eyes suddenly narrowing on him, the Doctor raised his hands in defense. "What I do!?"</p>
<p>She rolled her eyes. "More like what <em>didn't</em> we do. We were supposed to run tests, remember?"</p>
<p>The Doctor winced. He <em>did</em> remember. He also remembered why those tests didn't get done. Images of their heated snog flashed across his mind, tinting his cheeks red. He would not complain one bit for forgetting those tests.</p>
<p>"So none of you are actually human," Amy remarked as it finally settled. She looked the trio over, registering Gabby's reminder that <em>she</em> believed she was human, but struggled to truly accept it based off on their familiar appearances. "You guys look human."</p>
<p>"No, you look Time Lord. We came first," the Doctor pointed at her with his sonic.</p>
<p>"So there are other Time Lords, yeah?" Amy noticed straightaway how their faces seemed to fall, except for Gabby. Although the girl looked half as grim as the Doctor and Renata.</p>
<p>"Not quite," Renata said quietly, scolding herself almost immediately after answering. <em>Yes quite</em>, she berated. <em>Yes</em>. They were gone. "There were, but there aren't...just us now."</p>
<p>Amy arched an eyebrows at her, clearly wanting to know how that was possible. Renata couldn't bring herself to say more. After all, it'd only been a day since the Time Lords happened to return for a brief moment.</p>
<p>"There was a bad day. Bad stuff happened, and you know what? I'd love to forget it all, every last bit of it, but I don't," the Doctor turned to the controls with a new sense of rage. Where did these people get off thinking they could just ease their problems by making people forget? That was beyond cowardly. "Not ever. Cos this is what I do - every time, every day, every second. This. Hold tight. We're bringing down the government!" He slammed his hand over the 'protest' button. The door slid shut behind them, leaving Mandy on the other side but those still inside were a bit afraid of what was coming next.</p>
<p>"What the...?" Renata was the first to see the Smiler in the room turning its head around to showcase an angry one. "Oh, well, that's mature!"</p>
<p>"Ah, Renata!" Gabby jumped when the floor began sliding open.</p>
<p>The Doctor reached over to pull Renata with him, making her pull Gabby who then grabbed Amy. Renata didn't need to see the Doctor to know what he was thinking next.</p>
<p>"Don't you dare!"</p>
<p>"Say, 'Wheee!'" He was absolutely grinning behind her.</p>
<p>"DOC —AAH!" Renata only felt the grip of his hand on her waist pulling her into the chute.</p>
<hr/>
<p><strong>Author's Note</strong>:</p>
<p>I have to say that this was one of my favorite chapters to write (which I had to separate in 2 in the end). I loved Gabby's scenes with Amy's because now, like she said, <em>she</em><em>'s</em> the "previous" companion. She's assuming the role that Donna had and she wants to really make sure that Amy understands what it means to travel with the Time Lords.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. A Companion's Guide</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The time travelers have to figure out who's behind the creature snatching people up while working with Liz 10 and in the end, Gabby has to urge Amy to look past the Time Lords’ anger to see what they’re truly all about.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The entire group had fallen into the chute and were thrown out only to land in a splash somewhere full of oddly colored liquid. The Doctor jumped back on his feet soon as he got his bearings, though he noted the flooring underneath was a bit odd. He flashed the sonic around to see where exactly the chute had brought them to.</p>
<p>"High-speed air cannon. Lousy way to travel!"</p>
<p>Renata thrashed the water before getting up. "You have got to stop throwing us down things when you've no idea where they lead!" She made a show by splashing some water to the side.</p>
<p>Despite knowing she was properly upset, the Doctor found it much too funny to be serious. She was covered in whatever liquid they'd landed in - he suspected a food refuse judging by the smell - and so all of her hair was sticking to her face. Her dress was pressed against her body again, something he'd begun to accept would be his downfall one day. She was trying to be angry but she kept scrunching her face and yelling about the horrible stench around them. Her kicking the food refuse was just a plus!</p>
<p>Yup. Completely, adorably, funny.</p>
<p>"Doctor, where are we?" Gabby was close to gagging with the odor around them.</p>
<p>"600 feet down, 20 miles laterally - puts us at the heart of the ship. I'd say... Lancashire. What's this, then - a cave? Can't be a cave. Looks like a cave!"</p>
<p>"WHO CARES WHAT IT IS! GET US OUT!" Renata shivered excessively. She might just throw up there and then.</p>
<p>Amy was still on her knees beside them. She kept touching the ground. "It's a rubbish dump, and it's minging!"</p>
<p>"Yes, but only food refuse!" the Doctor Doctor confirmed, not that it would make it better. "Organic, coming through feeder tubes from all over the ship."</p>
<p>"You are <em>so</em> dead," Renata threw him a murderous glare he chose to ignore.</p>
<p>"The floor's all squidgy, like a water bed," Amy pointed out. She'd been trying to figure out how best to describe what she felt and that was as close as it would get.</p>
<p>"But feeding what, though?" the Doctor asked while he took another read off the sonic.</p>
<p>"It's sort of rubbery, feel it. Wet and slimy!"</p>
<p>"Uh, Amy, let's not keep touching that," Gabby helped the woman stand up. "You never know what it could actually be."</p>
<p>And a moment later, the Doctor heard a distant moaning. He froze, letting his eyes dart to the dark 'walls' of the so-called cave. "Er...it's not a floor, it's a…" he put his screwdriver away and prepared the best way to explain his discovery. "So…"</p>
<p>Renata narrowed her eyes on him. With all her thrashing, she missed the moaning. The Doctor was grateful for it because now he had a few minutes to come up with a way that wouldn't get him killed.</p>
<p>"What is it?" she demanded a dangerously low tone.</p>
<p>"The next word is kind of a scary word." And it was a pretty scary moment for him right now. He moved closer to her, taking her sticky hands into his. "Take a moment. Get yourself in a calm place. Go 'omm'. Everybody! Omm!"</p>
<p>Gabby and Amy had no idea what he was doing but they would go along with it and see where it led. "Omm!" they collectively said.</p>
<p>"...it's a tongue," the Doctor had swallowed very hard, almost making it so that Renata couldn't understand him. Almost.</p>
<p>Her dark eyebrows arched up as her eyes widened. "A...<em>tongue</em>?"</p>
<p>"Aha...a great big tongue!" He couldn't help the excitement that crossed his face for a moment. It was a <em>tongue!</em> They were standing on an actual tongue! When could that ever happen!?</p>
<p>It was that same excitement that drove Renata mad. "I'm gonna kill you!" she pushed him away. "I hope you've enjoyed your small time in that incarnation because it's about to end!" She actually lunged on him, knocking them both to the ground. Her hands may have curled around his neck but she got a taste of the food refuse from their splash and nearly gagged on the side.</p>
<p>The Doctor was stunned that Renata had actually lunged on him, but he was close to laughing too. This new incarnation of hers was truly going to be an adventure. Perhaps it was a sign that things were going to change for the better now.</p>
<p>"<em>Renata</em>!" Gabby burst into laughter. Amy perhaps would've laughed if she wasn't still stuck on the fact they were inside a <em>mouth.</em></p>
<p>Renata still narrowed her eyes on the Doctor under her. "You are so lucky there's witnesses!"</p>
<p>"I'm going to love you even more after this," he said before laughing. A blush bloomed across Renata's face, even more so when she realized their position.</p>
<p><em>Make a fool out of yourself why don't you?</em> She quickly got off him and tried pulling her hair off her face. "How do we get out of here?" She reached for her pocket and took out her own sonic.</p>
<p>"What, you have one too?" Amy blinked at the golden-white sonic in Renata's hand. It even made the same sound as the Doctor's.</p>
<p>Renata gave a dismissive nod while she took a look at the readings. "This place is huge! Doctor, of all the places…"</p>
<p>"It's gorgeous!" the man exclaimed. She rolled her eyes in response. "Blimey! if this is just the mouth, I'd love to see the stomach." Of course soon as he heard the grunts in the back he regretted his words. "Though not right now."</p>
<p>"Doctor, how do we get out?" Gabby called to him. She would like if he didn't keep saying words that could get him killed by the mouth or Renata.</p>
<p>"OK, it's being fed through surgically implanted feeder tubes, so the normal entrance is…" the Doctor made a turn towards the white set of teeth properly shut. "...closed for business."</p>
<p>"We can try, though!" Amy said determinedly. She left Gabby's side only to take two steps and hear another grunt. "Or...not…"</p>
<p>"Oh, great, it's started," Renata lowered her sonic to her side.</p>
<p>Amy swallowed hard. Whatever was starting was her fault. "What has?"</p>
<p>"Swallow reflex." The Doctor said just before they were thrown back into the refuse. Renata yelled as soon as her entire body was covered in the refuse again. In a quick second the Doctor used the sonic on the walls to get another process started, one that he was sure Renata would thoroughly scream at him for.</p>
<p>"What are you doing?" Amy sat upright, too afraid to stand until somebody else did too.</p>
<p>"I'm vibrating the chemo-receptors!"</p>
<p>"Chemo-what?"</p>
<p>"The eject button!"</p>
<p>"How does a mouth have an eject button?"</p>
<p>As expected, Renata loudly screamed. "I really hate you! I hate this entire place and this entire ship!"</p>
<p>Gabby was about to ask for another explanation when they heard the creature growling and a wave of vile coming towards them. Oh, she might scream too.</p>
<p>The Doctor helped Renata stand up but she looked so close to murdering him he almost thought of letting her go. He winced at himself for that thought. "Sorry Renée. Only way out."</p>
<p>She would've indeed yelled at him had it not been for the terribly huge wave coming for them. "O-o-oh no…" Her hands suddenly clung to him.</p>
<p>"Right, then, this isn't going to be big on dignity," he tweaked his bowtie, not that it would matter in a couple minutes. "Geronimo!" He wrapped his arms around Renata's body to shield her from as much bile as he could.</p>
<p>Gabby and Amy tried cowarding behind one another, ushering the other one ahead before they would force each other to switch places. In the end, they all screamed as the bile collected them in its way.</p>
<p>~0~</p>
<p>When Gabby and Amy came to, everything was a bit distorted. They could see each other a few inches away but things were blurry. They could hear warbled voices in the background, going fast. It took a few minutes for them to realize they were lying on a hard, cold metal ground and that the voices they heard were actually Renata and the Doctor going back and forth in some conversation...or argument. Gabby wasn't sure.</p>
<p>"You really had to bring us there, huh? I always thought there was a wire in your head that's plugged into some box with the words '<em>act stupid</em>' on the front!" Renata was watching the Doctor sonic the metal door that wouldn't open for them.</p>
<p>He looked over her shoulder at her, his expression a cross between wanting to laugh or be properly annoyed. "A <em>box</em>…?" The laughing was winning.</p>
<p>She huffed and folded her arms. "Being clean is something I love. I adore it. You know what I don't like? Being covered in sick! I was just <em>thrown up</em> like...like…" she groaned when no comparison came to mind. "It's just so terrible that I can't come up with the right word!"</p>
<p>"Ren?" Gabby called, alerting the pair she and Amy had woken up.</p>
<p>Renata turned around to help the girls stand up. "Don't worry. There's nothing broken, there's no sign of concussion and yes, unfortunately we're all covered in sick."</p>
<p>"And where are we?" Amy asked once she realized they were in a narrow room with, unsurprisingly, two Smilers.</p>
<p>"Overspill pipe, at a guess." Renata glanced back to see if the Doctor was anywhere closer to opening that door. He wasn't.</p>
<p>Amy crinkled her nose at the stench that seemed to be stuck on her. "Oh, God, it stinks!"</p>
<p>"Yeah, that's not the pipe," the Doctor paused scanning to shoot her an apologetic smile.</p>
<p>"Ugh! Doctor!" Gabby kept her arms away from her body. "This is by far the most disgusting thing that's happened to us!"</p>
<p>"Can we get out?" Amy wanted nothing more than to see a shower.</p>
<p>"One door, one door switch, one condition," Renata sourly said as she made her way up to the Smilers. She tilted her head at the smiling clown face. "It wants us to forget everything we saw. The audacity."</p>
<p>"Forget that we were inside the mouth of a creature? Honestly tempting," Gabby admitted after smelling a strand of her hair.</p>
<p>"Don't say that Gabbs," the Doctor gave up on the door for the moment. "There's a creature living in the heart of this ship and I'd like to know what it's doing there."</p>
<p>The Smilers knew the question was directed at it and, as a response, they turned around to show their angry faces.</p>
<p>"No, that's not going to work on us, so come on," the Doctor made a motion with his fingers for it to give the answer. "Big old beast below decks, and everyone who protests gets shoved down its throat. That how it works?"</p>
<p>Once again, the Smilers turned their faces, revealing an even angrier faces than the last.</p>
<p>Renata was exasperated with the Smilers by this point. "Would you just answer!?" She slammed her hands against the walls of their booths, at the same time expelling golden butterflies. With widened eyes, she backed away. "Oops…" she stared at her palms much like Gabby had earlier. "How does that work exactly?"</p>
<p>"At a first glance, seems like its connected to your current distressed state," the Doctor said, reaching for her closest hand. He examined it as much as he could with the naked eye, but there seemed to be no excess and it didn't seem to harm Renata like it had in her last incarnation.</p>
<p>"I got mad at the door that wouldn't open!" Gabby exclaimed, absolutely believing the Doctor's theory. "It must be when we're mad!"</p>
<p>"But not always, right?" asked Amy who had remembered the butterfly trick Renata showed her when the Doctor was examining the crack in her bedroom wall.</p>
<p>Renata seemed to read her thoughts and nodded with a smile. "Yes! But-" she dropped her smile as her eyes landed on the Smilers again, "-right now I'm beyond angry! I'm covered in sick because of a creature that's no doubt being tortured in the middle of this ship and some stupid clowns are holding back on us! So you better-" she threatened the booth with a pointed, glowing finger, "-start answering before you become Vortex dust!"</p>
<p>The booths opened up to let the two Smilers come out.</p>
<p>The Doctor quickly pulled Renata back, prompting Gabby and Amy to do the same. "May I just say, good response but terrible outcome?" he told Renata who agreed with a quick nod of her.</p>
<p>"Okay, what do we do now!?" Amy urgently asked them as the Smilers approached them. They were looking as terrified as she was and she took that as a bad sign.</p>
<p>Suddenly, the red cloaked woman had the door opened behind them and shot at the Smilers. They were momentarily stunned.</p>
<p>The Doctor whirled around, happy as ever. "Look who it is!? You look a lot better without your mask!"</p>
<p>The woman was showing her smiling face at them. Her eyes flickered past Renata to the humans. "You must be Gabby and Amy. Liz. Liz 10."</p>
<p>Neither girl could understand when this woman became their friend but would gladly take it!</p>
<p>"Bit late, aren't you?" Renata smirked at the woman.</p>
<p>"A thank you is in order!" the woman laughed. "Right. You know Mandy, yeah?" she moved slightly to let the others see the girl behind in the hallway. "She's very brave."</p>
<p>"How did you find us?" the Doctor asked her after realizing there was no the woman had been casually around the area.</p>
<p>"Stuck my gizmo on you!" the woman chucked a small device at him. "Been listening in."</p>
<p>"Let me see!" Renata took the device from the Doctor to study. "Oh this is great! It could come in handy to keep an eye on him!"</p>
<p>"HEY!" the Doctor was utterly offended. It didn't help that the others, including little Mandy, started laughing. "Seriously!?"</p>
<p>"Sorry, sorry," Renata apologized but she was still struggling to stop laughing. She held the device back to him, not even noticing when he swiped it from her hand with irritation.</p>
<p><em>"Anyways,</em> you want to tell us what's a creature doing in the middle of the ship?" the Doctor looked directly at the cloaked-woman. "Oh, my bad, you also voted to forget."</p>
<p>The woman took the sarcastic jab calmly. She shrugged her shoulders and refuted the statement. "Never forgot, never voted. Not technically a British subject."</p>
<p>"Then who and what are you, and how do you know us?"</p>
<p>The woman tilted her head at him, giving him a smile asking him if he really needed to ask her that. "You're a bit hard to miss, love. Mysterious stranger, MO consistent with higher alien intelligence, hair of an idiot…"</p>
<p>"Oh, another insult? Seriously!" the Doctor was reaching his limit with all these sarcastic jabs. Why was it always him!?</p>
<p>Renata felt guilty for taking her own jabs. She always did them and poor Doctor always had to take it. It was their dynamic, sure, but sometimes she needed to reel it back. She reached up to move some of his wet strands of hair off his forehead. She felt his body stiffen but soon relaxed under her touch.</p>
<p>"Sorry my dear. You do have the hair of an idiot but I love it," she said with a soft smile.</p>
<p>Well, that made everything better for the Doctor. He wouldn't mind if he stroked his hair all day. Actually, he might ask her if she could do that later. With any luck, she would say yes and they could have one calm day together.</p>
<p>When Renata was sure their little disagreement was resolved, she drew her hand away - an action the Doctor almost pouted at - and turned her attention back to the woman. "So, you were explaining how you know him?"</p>
<p>"Both of you, actually," the woman said. "Did I not make that clear?"</p>
<p>"Right, except that doesn't make sense. We haven't met you."</p>
<p>"No, I've been brought up on the stories. My whole family was." The woman noticed the Smilers beginning to twitch behind them. "They're repairing." The group looked back to see the Smilers and quickly took a few steps away. "Doesn't take them long. Let's move." She took the lead down the hallway and continued explaining herself to the pair. "The Doctor. Old drinking buddy of Henry XII. Tea and scones with Liz II. Vicky was a bit on the fence about you, wasn't she?"</p>
<p>"What did you do, Doctor?" Gabby threw the man a curious glance.</p>
<p>The Doctor preferred not to explain considering it really was his fault. "Torchwood," he left it at that and hoped she and Renata would get the jist.</p>
<p>"Knighted and exiled you on the same day!" the woman laughed. The Doctor scowled at her back. So much for keeping it a secret!</p>
<p>"That sounds like you alright," Renata mumbled to him as she rubbed his arm comfortingly.</p>
<p>"And how could I forget Marchioness Renata? Good friends with Anne of Cleves, bit rocky with dear old Henry VII - I'd be too, don't worry - but nobody more rocky than Liz I, huh? Goes for you too Doctor!"</p>
<p>"I haven't even met her! Doctor, what did you do!?" Renata glared at the man in question.</p>
<p>"How do you know <em>I</em> did something!?"</p>
<p>"Because it had to be! Notice how she didn't say drinking <em>buddies</em> of Henry VII, right?"</p>
<p>"Well, but…but <em>you</em> were the reason we couldn't go back to any Henry VII era!"</p>
<p>"Hey that was <em>both </em>of us!" Renata snapped loudly and jabbed her finger into his chest.</p>
<p>Gabby couldn't help snicker at the reminder of that precise trip. Amy heard the laugh and raised an eyebrow at Gabby, asking her what she knew.</p>
<p>"Long story short..." Gabby pulled Amy a bit closer to speak quietly without being heard. Of course with Renata and the Doctor arguing, she didn't have to try so hard. "We met Anne of Cleves and her then-husband, Henry VII, who wanted Renata as his wife. The Doctor got jealous, made a whole thing about it and we had to run for it in the end."</p>
<p>Amy hid her laugh behind her mouth and turned her head at the Time Lords. They were still going at it strongly.</p>
<p>"I didn't do anything!" the Doctor was shouting.</p>
<p>"Don't lie to me! Martha also told me this Queen was particularly upset with you! And now she hates me too!?"</p>
<p>"I didn't!" the Doctor insisted but Renata wouldn't listen. Gabby and Amy both shared equally confused but curious glances with each other.</p>
<p>"Good story to come, I hope," Gabby snickered with the ginger.</p>
<p>It wasn't until the woman introduced herself as Liz 10 - Elizabeth X - that the Time Lords stopped arguing.</p>
<p>"And down!" Liz shot at the pair of Smilers behind them. "I'm the bloody Queen, mate. Basically, I rule." She led them into another corridor that would bring them to the base of a vator shaft. "There's a high-speed Vator through there."</p>
<p>The Doctor noticed two tentacles sticking out of a caged area, much like the one Gabby and Amy saw earlier. "There's these things. Any ideas?"</p>
<p>"Oh, we saw one of those up top," Gabby said as soon as she saw the caged area. "Right, Amy?"</p>
<p>"Yeah!" the ginger nodded. "There was a hole in the road, like it had burst through, like a root."</p>
<p>"It's all one creature," Renata said and shuddered. "The same one we were inside minutes ago, but now it's reaching out. It must be growing through the mechanisms of the entire ship."</p>
<p>Liz eyed the cage with newfound horror. "What? Like an infestation?"</p>
<p>"Someone's helping it. Feeding it…" the Doctor tried getting nearer to it but Renata yanked him back.</p>
<p>"Feeding my subjects to it," Liz muttered and stormed off. "Come on. We've got to keep moving." Mandy followed in a hurry and just as Amy and Gabby were going to do the same, they noticed the Time Lords staring at the tentacles with odd expressions.</p>
<p>"Guys?" Gabby called to them while Amy gestured that they needed to be following Liz.</p>
<p>"We should have never come here," the Doctor resolved with a sigh. The creature banged against the bars keeping it inside. He should have just ran those exams on Renata and maybe, just maybe, they wouldn't have caught sight of this ship.</p>
<p>Amy remembered the video she left for herself, warning her to get off the ship. Could it be related to the creature? And if so, why was it so urgent!?</p>
<p>~ 0 ~</p>
<p>Liz's bedroom was covered with a maze of glasses of water. It was a certain challenge getting around it but Liz was a master as she swiftly crossed the room to reach her bed. Sometime later would see the travelers cleaned up from showers, though Renata swore she would take a proper, <em>long</em> bath when they went home.</p>
<p>"What are these glasses for?" Gabby asked in a slight frustration after nearly knocking one over.</p>
<p>"To remind me every single day that my government is up to something, and it's my duty to find out what," Liz said in what sounded like a recital.</p>
<p>"Lovely mask," Renata eyed the porcelain mask sitting at the foot of the woman's bed. She knew the Doctor had already taken a quick study of it while she was in the shower, but she wanted to see it with her own eyes. "Guess you would need it if you're a queen going undercover to investigate her own kingdom."</p>
<p>Liz was dead serious as she watched Renata turn her mask over. "Secrets are being kept from me. I don't have a choice. Ten years I've been at this - my entire reign - and you've achieved more in one afternoon."</p>
<p>"That's him alright," Renata said without even gazing up from the mask. The Doctor stopped pacing behind her, his amused expression asking her how she knew that line had been directed at him. She glanced at him with a wink.</p>
<p>"So Liz, how old were you when you came to the throne?" he asked afterwards.</p>
<p>"40. Why?"</p>
<p>Amy's mouth nearly dropped when she heard that. She turned away from the mirror after putting her hair up. "What, you're 50 now? No way!"</p>
<p>"Don't let physical appearances fool you," Gabby said before throwing a thumb at Renata and the Doctor. "Ask them how old they are."</p>
<p>"Ask and it's the last thing you'll do," Renata calmly said while she studied the mask, though under her calm words there was a clear warning.</p>
<p>Amy chuckled and went to sit on the chaise with Mandy.</p>
<p>"Yeah, they slowed my body clock. Keeps me looking like the stamps," Liz added for humor.</p>
<p>"Do you always wear this in public?" Renata waved the mask at Liz. The woman nodded her head.</p>
<p>"Undercover's not easy when you're me. The autographs, the bunting."</p>
<p>Renata had on a strained smile before she glanced at the Doctor. He already knew.</p>
<p>"Air-balanced porcelain. Stays on by itself, cos it's perfectly sculpted to your face," he said quietly. Liz missed the knowing looks the pair were sharing.</p>
<p>"Yeah. So what?"</p>
<p>Renata met the woman's gaze a few seconds later with her strained smile stronger than ever. "Oh, Liz. So everything."</p>
<p>If they had been about to share what they knew worth Liz, they never got the chance. Four hooded men burst into the room, startling Liz out of her bed.</p>
<p>"What are you doing? How dare you come in here?" she rushed up to them in outrage.</p>
<p>"Ma'am, you have expressed interest in the interior workings of Starship UK. You will come with us now," one of the men dutifully announced.</p>
<p>"Why would I do that?"</p>
<p>The man's head then spun to show the face of an angry Smiler.</p>
<p>"Mm, that's why!" Gabby exclaimed in horror.</p>
<p>Liz was appalled as she stumbled away from the men. "How can they be Smilers?"</p>
<p>"Half Smiler, half human," the Doctor said, rather disgusted.</p>
<p>Liz didn't seem to share the same sentiment. She was beyond furious and anyone who was responsible would feel it. "Whatever you creatures are, I am still your queen. On whose authority is this done?"</p>
<p>"The highest authority, Ma'am," the Smiler, to his credit, did obediently answer.</p>
<p>"I <em>am</em> the highest authority!"</p>
<p><em>And that should be your first clue, </em>Renata almost rolled her eyes. The human was too angry to even notice it.</p>
<p>The Smiler agreed with Liz, yet another clue that the woman missed, and announced that he would led her and the rest to the Tower of London. They were brought to a large stone room full of machinery. Only a few feet inside, Amy and Gabby noticed more of the creature's body was sticking out of grates.</p>
<p>"Where the hell are we?" Gabby wearily looked at the Time Lords.</p>
<p>"The lowest point of Starship UK," the Doctor said, giving the room a little spin. "The dungeon."</p>
<p>"Hawthorne!" Liz barked a gray-haired man who'd approached the group. "So this is where you hid yourself away. I think you've got some explaining to do."</p>
<p>"Excuse me," Renata called with a similar authoritative tone. "Why are there children down here?" Her question made Amy and Gabby realize there was a line of children doing hard labor around the room. "It seems hardly safe for them. Where are their parents?"</p>
<p>"Protesters and citizens of limited value are fed to the beast," Hawthorne replied with the most casual tone, easily enraging Renata in a second. "For some reason, it won't eat the children. You're the first adults it's spared. You're very lucky."</p>
<p>"You tried feeding <em>children</em> to the creature!? How dare you!?" She looked ready to lunge on him and it didn't seem like the Doctor would try to stop her.</p>
<p>The only reason he wouldn't join her was because his eyes had gone to the type of equipment around the room. One Time Lord for each problem.</p>
<p>"And you agreed to this!" Renata turned on Liz, startling the woman with the sudden change of direction her rage took.</p>
<p>"I did not!"</p>
<p>Renata's loud scoff made everyone around her flinch. "Yes, you did!"</p>
<p>Gabby pulled Renata back a few steps. "How could she? She's investigating her own kingdom, remember?"</p>
<p>"<em>I </em>remember, but <em>she</em> doesn't! This isn't even a dungeon room, it's a bloody torture chamber!"</p>
<p>"Ren, what are you talking about?" Gabby happened to look in Amy's way and saw the finger's mild fear. If she was in Amy's place, Gabby would agree the sight of angry Time Lady was fear-worthy. "Doctor?" she called to the man for some help.</p>
<p>"She's right," the Doctor agreed, speaking in a low tone.</p>
<p>Gabby recognized that immediately even if was in a new incarnation's voice. <em>Oh great, they're both angry.</em></p>
<p>"Torture chamber of the Tower of London, except it's not a torture chamber, for this lot," the Doctor sourly went on as he strolled by the equipment. "I suppose it just depends on your angle." He came for Liz and, despite the woman's reluctance, he led her to an open well which was reply just a view into the engine.</p>
<p>Liz peered over the railing to see something huge and it was moving. "What's that?"</p>
<p>"It's your engine," Renata muttered, ignoring Gabby's please beside her to explain why she was so upset.</p>
<p>"Well, like I say, depends on the angle. It's either the exposed pain center of big fella's brain, being tortured relentlessly…" the Doctor trailed off.</p>
<p>"Or?"</p>
<p>"Or it's the gas pedal, the accelerator - Starship UK's go-faster button."</p>
<p>"I don't understand…"</p>
<p>The Doctor was getting frustrated with the lack of brains around him. The answer was right in front of Liz and she wasn't getting it! "The spaceship that could never fly, no vibration on deck. This creature - this poor, trapped, terrified creature. It's not infesting you, it's not invading - it's what you have instead of an engine. And this place down here is where you hurt it, where you torture it, day after day, just to keep it moving."</p>
<p>As if to help prove his point, an intermittent electrical beam shot down into the well, directly hitting the creature's exposed brain. Liz was stunned and she dared not look over the tails again.</p>
<p>"Tell you what," the Doctor hastily made his way up to another well to lift its grate. "Normally, it's above the range of human hearing. This is the sound none of you wanted to hear." He used the sonic on an extension that had come undone in the grate. A loud, piercing sound filled the air until the Doctor stopped it.</p>
<p>Gabby felt tears come to her face when she realized that the sound was like a cry, a cry of the creature. "It's being tortured nonstop?" Renata nodded at her and finally Gabby realized why the two were so angry.</p>
<p>Amy hadn't yet reached that level and she was suddenly wondering if she wanted to.</p>
<p>"Who did this?" Liz demanded to know from the workers. She was furious, just like Renata and the Doctor.</p>
<p>"We act on instructions from the highest authority," Hawthorne said, but Liz still didn't understand.</p>
<p>"I am the highest authority!" she snapped. "The creature will be released, now." But even with all her anger, nobody moved from their spot. "I said now! Is anyone listening to me?"</p>
<p>The Doctor slowly returned to her side and took out her mask from his pockets. "Liz. Your mask. Look at it. It's old. At least 200 years old, I'd say."</p>
<p>Liz could not understand what was so damn important about that mask. She recalled how long Renata had kept it under her eye. "Yeah, it's an antique, so?"</p>
<p>"Yeah, an antique made by craftsmen over 200 years ago and perfectly sculpted to your face. They slowed your body clock, all right, but you're not 50. Nearer 300. And it's been a long old reign."</p>
<p>Liz almost laughed at the absurdity. "Nah, it's ten years. I've been on this throne ten years."</p>
<p>"It's been the same ten years," Renata clarified as she started heading for a small table set not too far from where they entered.</p>
<p>The Doctor led Liz by the hand and since the woman was utterly confused, she let it happen. "The same ten years over and over again, always leading you... here."</p>
<p>Liz swallowed rough when she saw a screen with a two buttons in front of it, reading "forget" and "abdicate". She turned a hard glance on Hawthorne. "What have you done?"</p>
<p>"Well it wasn't him," Renata corrected. "He's only following <em>your </em>orders."</p>
<p>Hawthorne nodded in agreement. "We work for you, Ma'am. The Winders, the Smilers, all of us." He reached over to the turn on the screen and as soon as it came to life, a recording of Liz herself appeared. It was what brought Liz to sit down and truly listen.</p>
<p>
  <em>"If you are watching this...If I am watching this, then I have found my way to the Tower Of London. The creature you are looking at is called a Star Whale. Once, there were millions of them. They lived in the depths of space and, according to legend, guided the early space travelers through the asteroid belts. This one, as far as we are aware, is the last of its kind. 'And what we have done to it 'breaks my heart. The Earth was burning. Our sun had turned on us, and every other nation had fled to the skies. Our children screamed as the skies grew hotter. And then it came, like a miracle. The last of the star whales. We trapped it, we built our ship around it, and we rode on its back to safety. If you wish our voyage to continue, then you must press the "forget" button. Be again the heart of this nation, untainted. If not, press the other button. Your reign will end, the Star Whale will be released, and our ship will disintegrate. I hope I keep the strength to make the right decision."</em>
</p>
<p>Amy felt sick to her stomach. "I voted for this?" She asked the Doctor and Renata despite already knowing the answer. Their grim faces just confirmed what she already knew. "Why would I do that?"</p>
<p>"Because you knew if we stayed here, we'd be faced with an impossible choice," the Doctor muttered with a growing sense of anger at the woman. "Humanity or the alien. You took it upon yourself to save us from that. And that was wrong." He turned completely to her and once Amy saw his face she backed a step. "You don't ever decide what we need to know."</p>
<p>Gabby sent Renata a look asking her to step in, but Renata did not move. She was just as upset but her method of expressing anger had always been to seal it away. Gabby really dreaded the idea of that trait following Renata into her new incarnation. Seeing that Renata wasn't going to help, Gabby moved to stand between the Doctor and Amy.</p>
<p>"Hey! She doesn't even remember doing it!"</p>
<p>Having Gabby in front of him didn't make his anger any less. "But she did it. That's what counts!"</p>
<p>"I'm... I'm sorry," Amy said, at a loss for other words.</p>
<p>"Oh, I don't care," he turned away, storming towards the equipment. "When I'm done here, you're going home."</p>
<p>Amy gasped. "Why!?"</p>
<p>"Doctor, that's being unfair!" Gabby called but he didn't stop for either of them.</p>
<p>"I made one mistake!" Amy argued as she moved to stand beside Gabby. She appreciated the girl's help but she didn't need anyone to fight her own battles. "One mistake that I don't even remember doing it!"</p>
<p>There was no telling if the Doctor was truly examining the equipment he would need for his new plan or if he was just distracting himself from looking at either girl. "Yeah. I know. You're only human."</p>
<p>Gabby's eyes widened. That one might have just hurt her heart. "Is that supposed to be an insult?" the Doctor said nothing more so Gabby turned expectantly at Renata.</p>
<p>The Time Lady had watched the entire argument unfold with no clear expression of which side she was leaning to. "We get it, we do, but Amy you shouldn't have chosen to forget on our behalf. You don't get to make that choice for us."</p>
<p>"I'm sorry," Amy insisted, hoping that at least Renata would be able to know she was being honest. All Renata did was nod though.</p>
<p>"What are you doing?" Liz asked the Doctor, taking a few steps towards the man but stopping when she got a better look at his darkened expression.</p>
<p>"The worst thing I'll ever do. I'm going to pass a massive electrical charge through the Star Whale's brain. Should knock out all its higher functions, leave it a vegetable. The ship will still fly, but the whale won't feel it."</p>
<p>"But that'll be like killing it!" Amy exclaimed. She didn't remember pressing any buttons but she knew, she knew for sure, that she had pushed the 'forget' button to spare them pain. She only failed to think about the creature.</p>
<p>The Doctor's hands slammed down on the machinery and glared up at the group. "Look, three options. One: I let the Star Whale continue in unendurable agony for hundreds more years. Two: I kill everyone on this ship. Three: I murder a beautiful, innocent creature as painlessly as I can. And then I find a new name, cos I won't be the Doctor any more!"</p>
<p>"But there must be something we can do, some other way," Liz said but that was the Doctor's patience had finally snapped from the thread it'd been hanging on.</p>
<p>"Nobody talk to me!" he roared, startling everyone into silence. "Nobody human has anything to say to me today!" After that, nobody tried to stop him anymore.</p>
<p>All except for one person.</p>
<p>'<em>I think you may have hurt Gabriella's feelings back there…'</em></p>
<p>Nobody would notice the one second the Doctor momentarily stopped working. This was the first time Renata had spoken telepathically to him since he regenerated.</p>
<p>'<em>You're <strong>that</strong> upset my dear that you've unintentionally lowered your mental shields,' </em>Renata came up to stand on the other side of the equipment he worked on. '<em>Never really talked about connecting telepathically but since your door is open, I'm going to step in for a moment.'</em></p>
<p>'<em>Are you not upset?' </em>the Doctor raised his gaze to meet Renata's eyes.</p>
<p>'<em>Oh no I am <strong>very</strong> upset. Amy did something terrible but...she did it with good intentions. I can relate to that. I'm sure you can too.'</em></p>
<p>The Doctor wouldn't give in so easily despite the kind face he had in front of him. '<em>They have been torturing this kind creature for centuries, Renata. How am I supposed to react!? Not everyone has your ability to bottle things in!' </em>As soon as he thought - or said - those words, the Doctor closed his eyes with regret. His hands stopped working over the controls and drew back. '<em>I'm sorry. I didn't...I shouldn't have-'</em></p>
<p>Renata smiled lightly at his guilty self. '<em>No, no, that's completely fair. I did that a lot. But just to be clear, I'm not saying that you shouldn't be upset. I'm only saying, from personal experience, that you shouldn't push people away. When they do things like these, with good intentions, it's best to go back and see things from their perspective. I know it's hard, especially because of the circumstances but it does help.'</em></p>
<p>The Doctor smiled to himself, almost shaking his head. He always wondered how she could be so wise, even when they were younger. She always had the right words to ease something that could seem so impossible. '<em>I love you, you know. I'm glad I have you around...in <strong>this</strong> way.'</em></p>
<p>Renata reached over the equipment to grab his hand. '<em>Me too. And know that whatever you do, whatever you decide...I'm here.'</em></p>
<p>The Doctor swallowed hard as his eyes roamed over the equipment. The choice had already been made. He just needed to get through it.</p>
<p>~ 0 ~</p>
<p>Gabby and Amy sat on the ground together against the wall. They could do nothing to stop what was going to happen to the creature. All they <em>could</em> do was simply wait for it. Amy, however, felt like she was waiting for more than Gabby...because she was.</p>
<p>"I messed it up," she said quietly, bringing her hands up to her temples. "I messed it all up…"</p>
<p>Gabby could feel Amy's genuine guilt and put a comforting hand on the ginger's arm. "It was an honest mistake. Don't worry, you're not going home."</p>
<p>Amy scoffed quietly. "Oh please, you heard the man."</p>
<p>"You don't know him like I do. I mean...<em>I</em> don't know him like Renata does but I know him enough to know that he says a lot of things when he's angry. He's heartbroken."</p>
<p>Amy wasn't convinced. She had felt the Doctor's rage with one simple glare and she was not interested in being on the receiving end again. "If I make mistakes like that, maybe I shouldn't be around."</p>
<p>"We make mistakes, trust me. I did too," Gabby shrugged. Her eyes flickered to Renata who had drifted away from the Doctor to stop more children coming in from working.</p>
<p>Amy dropped her hands to her lap and questionably looked at Gabby. "You did?"</p>
<p>"Yeah, on my very first trip just like you. I pissed off Renata when I overstepped about something I heard about her. It was about her past and Renata is a very reclusive woman. I made the wrong choice by asking her, pestering her, until she snapped and threatened to drop me back on Earth."</p>
<p>Amy's eyes widened as she quickly glanced at Renata. The Time Lady was clearing off some soot of a child's face, trying her best to make the boy smile. She even bopped his nose with a glowing golden finger to enchant the boy. Amy couldn't see Renata acting the same as the Doctor when she was angry. Hell, she couldn't even picture Renata getting angry.</p>
<p>"She can get angry," Gabby said as if she read Amy's mind. Amy looked away from Renata with a light smile. "The Doctor's right, Amy, we're only human but that's not an insult. It does hurt a bit when he says it angrily," she sighed. "He's actually very fascinated with our kind. We're <em>that</em> good." She bumped shoulders with Amy, eliciting a smile from the ginger. "But you have to understand that even though they look young...the Doctor and Renata are actually very old. They've seen so many things that sometimes they snap. And our job as companions is to help them come back from it. We can't make them come back but we can try our best."</p>
<p>"So what can we do right now?" Amy helplessly asked as she cast another look at the Doctor. He was fervently working and had been for time now which meant the creature would be dying soon.</p>
<p>"I don't know. We better start thinking."</p>
<p>Amy blew a raspberry at their hopeless situation. "Great."</p>
<p>"Just look at the butterflies," Renata's voice carried over to the girls' spot.</p>
<p>Amy craned her head in time to see a few of the children 'awwwing' at a few golden butterflies fluttering in the air. A light smile spread across Amy's face as she recalled the same trick being used on her all those years ago. It had truly made her feel much less afraid of the crack. Renata gave the allusion of what a mother was.</p>
<p>Mandy had joined the group without neither Amy nor Gabby noticing when, but Amy did spot one of the creature's tentacles creeping out of a grate towards Mandy. Amy panicked and scrambled to get up but just as she straightened up, the tentacle only tapped Mandy's shoulder and then <em>allowed</em> the girl to pet it.</p>
<p>"Amy?" Gabby gently called to her but Amy was thinking suddenly.</p>
<p>"<em>It won't eat the children…"</em></p>
<p>"<em>The children screamed, then it came. It's the last of its kind."</em></p>
<p>Amy watched Mandy and a few other children pet the tentacle and it almost looked like the creature was trying to play with them.</p>
<p>"No, it's okay," Renata was soothing one of the younger children crying at the tentacle. "It won't hurt you. I'm here."</p>
<p>"<em>There were, but there aren't...just us now."</em></p>
<p>Amy's eyes flickered to the Doctor after watching Renata conjure up a few more butterflies for the scared child. There was no doubt in her mind he would be trying to pull off some crazy stunt to make the scared child laugh too.</p>
<p>"<em>Doctor says he never interferes in the affairs of other peoples or planets but then he does when there's children crying?"</em></p>
<p>"<em>Oh, if there's a child crying he'd stop everything."</em></p>
<p>Amy then looked down at Gabby who was still trying to decide if Amy was alright. She'd stopped calling Amy's name but she was keeping a close eye on the ginger. Something was going on inside her head.</p>
<p>And indeed there was.</p>
<p>Amy felt like slapping herself for being so clueless! The Doctor was right, she had to have kept her eyes open! She should've noticed everything! "Doctor, stop!" she yelled and rushed towards Liz. Everyone, including the Doctor and Renata, stopped to see her taking Liz's hand and racing for the voting buttons.</p>
<p>The Doctor was quick to panic once he realized what Amy wanted to do. "Amy, no!" he went after them but he didn't make it in time. Amy had brought Liz's hand down on the 'abdicate' button. "AMY!"</p>
<p>The creature bellowed underneath them, rocking the entire ship.</p>
<p>The Doctor nearly fell back if he hadn't caught onto pillar. Renata's arms flailed trying to keep the children around her from falling back.</p>
<p>"AMY!" she yelled as upset as the Doctor.</p>
<p>Gabby had managed not to smack face-first to the ground, but she wasn't the same as the Time Lords. "No, let her! She's figured it out!" She had no doubt that Amy realized something none of them had. She would never put them all in danger like this. She didn't seem the type.</p>
<p>Amy laughed as if agreeing with Gabby. The ship slowly stopped shaking and actually returned to normal...with a few differences.</p>
<p>"We've <em>increased</em> speed," Hawthorne was stunned as he looked over their readings.</p>
<p>"Yeah, well, you've stopped torturing the pilot! Gotta help!" Amy dramatically flapped her hands around the room.</p>
<p>"It's still here? I don't understand," Liz moved over to Hawthorne's side to see the readings herself.</p>
<p>"The Star Whale didn't come like a miracle all those years ago. It volunteered!" Amy began to explain, growing more excited by the second. "You didn't have to trap it or torture it - that was all just you. It came because it couldn't stand to watch your children cry. What if you were really old, and really kind and alone? Your whole race was dead, no future. What couldn't you do then?" Amy started making her way towards the Doctor, her smile softening as she took in his guilty face for not realizing it before. "If you were that old, and that kind, and the very last of your kind...you couldn't just stand there and watch children cry." And just to really make her point, she purposely nodded at Renata who was surrounded by the children.</p>
<p>"Oh, she's <em>good,"</em> Gabby smiled proudly at Amy.</p>
<p>~ 0 ~</p>
<p>Once everything was settled on the ship, Renata and the Doctor found it easy to slip away from the crowd. They'd wandered to the observation deck where they found such a beautiful sight of a starry space.</p>
<p>"It's funny how times change," Renata's soft voice broke their mutual silent wacth. "Last time I saw stars...we were fighting the Master. And we were hiding in a Vinvocci ship. Oh, and the world was ending." She let silence pass between them again when it truly donned on her where they were a short while ago, and what they were doing. "That was two days ago."</p>
<p>The Doctor said nothing at first as he reached for Renata's hand. "Two days ago seems like a very long time ago."</p>
<p>Renata side-glanced him with a small smile across her lips. "Doesn't it? Now we're here," she squeezed her hand around his and faced the stars again. "Looking at some stars, on a ship with a creature driving it…"</p>
<p>"Flying it, technically," the Doctor couldn't help make the correction but instead of getting annoyed, Renata chuckled.</p>
<p>"Flying it," she amended.</p>
<p>The Doctor gripped her hand again, licking his lips nervously as he turned to her and gently using their interlocked hands to turn her as well. "Renée, I don't know why I forgot about it but...would you consider connecting telepathically?" Renata's eyebrows slowly raised, her expression giving him the impression she would refuse. "I-I know we did it temporarily twice but this time, if you'd like, we-we could...officially do it. I would understand if you think it's too early, but...if I may give my opinion?"</p>
<p>Renata chuckled. "When don't you?"</p>
<p>He agreed with a sideways tilt. "Right. We've only just started a relationship but the truth is we've known each other far longer. What happened between us...it's been a <em>long</em> story. I've known you for my entire life even if I've only seen you in three of my incarnations. Most of my thoughts you know anyways, but I'd like it if you could see every part of me. Who knows, maybe if you see what really goes through my head you might realize I'm no good. But at least you'll have known who I really am."</p>
<p>"I know you," Renata said matter-of-factly. She slipped her hand out of his to bring it up to his cheek. "I've always known who you are. Of course I know I don't know all of your thoughts, or every you, but I know <em>you.</em> I know who you are." She stepped closer to him, leaving barely any space between them. "I would love to finally connect our minds. Who knows, you might see the real <em>me…"</em></p>
<p>"I know you," the Doctor clarified just like she had. "<em>My Gala</em>."</p>
<p>Renata let out a small gasp at his brief Gallifreyan use. The last time she heard him say her true name in their language was centuries ago, too many centuries ago. "<em>My Theta</em>." The Gallifreyan just tumbled out but before the Doctor could fully process it, she'd pulled him to her for a kiss.</p>
<p>Their minds slowly opened to one another, inciting a slow, passionate kiss that they hadn't really shared yet. Memories from each other flooded their minds, ones that they knew - that they were both a part of - and others that were new. No secrets would be left uncovered because that was a thing of the past, something they promised each other going forwards.</p>
<p>~0~</p>
<p>By the time Gabby and Amy realized they were missing their drivers, Renata and the Doctor were already waiting for them by the TARDIS.</p>
<p>Amy nervously carried Liz's porcelain mask in her hands and held it out for the pair to take. "From Her Majesty. She says there will be no more secrets on Starship UK."</p>
<p>"My type of monarchy," Renata gingerly took the mask into her hands. "And leadership in general."</p>
<p>Amy smiled but anyone could tell she was bursting with questions about her stay.</p>
<p>"Amy, you could have killed everyone on this ship," the Doctor was the one to break the terse silence.</p>
<p>"You could have killed a Star Whale," she countered.</p>
<p>"And you saved it. I know, I know."</p>
<p>Renata curled her arm around the Doctor's arm and smiled at Any that kind, warm smile she'd gotten as a child. It was the one that told Amy things would be okay. "We're sorry. We may have rudely snapped. That happens sometimes."</p>
<p>At this familiar words, Amy glanced at Gabby and shared a knowing smile together.</p>
<p>"Why do I feel like we're missing something?" the Doctor asked Renata as he watched the two humans.</p>
<p>"Because you always do."</p>
<p>"Oi!"</p>
<p>"Don't worry, Doctor," Gabby put an arm around Amy's shoulders. "I've just been giving Amy some insight into the life in the TARDIS."</p>
<p>"You would," Renata gave her companion a proud smile.</p>
<p>"I wanted to be like Donna when I first came aboard," Gabby admitted and for a moment she, Renata and the Doctor dedicated a moment of silence to their missing friend, Donna Noble. She would forever leave a scar in their hearts.</p>
<p>"Thanks Gabby," Amy genuinely thanked her new friend because otherwise she may not have made it this first trip.</p>
<p>"Gabbs, I <em>am</em> sorry if I hurt your feelings," the Doctor said once he remembered the terrible look in Gabby's eyes after making his human remark.</p>
<p>Gabby shook her head with a chuckle as she came to give him a hug. "I like to think that I know you enough for these types of situations!"</p>
<p>"Still," he dropped a kiss to her head. "You're family. We don't fight."</p>
<p>Renata barely controlled the urge to scoff when she thought about her family. "We should go. I think we could all use nice baths."</p>
<p>"Mhm!" Gabby pulled away from the Doctor. "I've got some nice bath bombs, Amy! Bet you've never seen a bath bomb that shoots images into the air!"</p>
<p>"What?" Amy's eyes widened, making the others laugh.</p>
<p>"I bet you'll like the one with stars! My favorite is the butterfly one!" Gabby motioned to be followed in as she hurried into the TARDIS.</p>
<p>"Don't forget we need to run tests on you!" Renata called after the girl but it didn't seem like Gabby had heard.</p>
<p>Amy chuckled. "Do you always act like a Mum?"</p>
<p>Renata blinked at her and for a moment it looked like she would be saying something but instead she looked at the Doctor. "Why do they all say that?"</p>
<p>Now the Doctor laughed. "You really haven't figured it out?"</p>
<p>She rolled her eyes. "Oh forget it." She turned around and disappeared into the TARDIS.</p>
<p>"Come along, Pond! Big day tomorrow!" the Doctor nodded at the TARDIS and missed Amy's wide eyed expression.</p>
<p>"Sorry, what?"</p>
<p>"It's always a big day tomorrow. We've got a time machine. I skip the little ones."</p>
<p>Amy found her breath once she realized he wasn't talking about her wedding. <em>Her wedding. </em>She shook her head and followed the Doctor inside. Renata and Gabby had no doubt disappeared into the corridors which gave Amy a motivation to ask, "You know what I said about getting back for tomorrow morning...have you ever run away from something because you were scared, or not ready, or just...just because you could?"</p>
<p>"Once...a long time ago," the Doctor came straight to the console. He started the TARDIS up and brought them into the Vortex.</p>
<p>"What happened?"</p>
<p>He turned with a smile. "Hello!"</p>
<p>Amy laughed. "Is that how Renata left too? Because I really can't picture that, you know."</p>
<p>The Doctor's smile faltered but it returned just as quick when he remembered how it was that she came aboard the TARDIS. That might make a good story for Amy. "Actually, I <em>kidnapped</em> Renata, stole her right off 1969."</p>
<p>Amy's eyes bugged out but there was a clear doubt on her face, only further confirmed by her scoff. "No way!"</p>
<p>"Yeah, I did! Nicked her off the ground and threw her over my shoulder!"</p>
<p>"Please, don't sound so regretful," Renata appeared by the corridor threshold, arms crossed and with a mock glare on the culprit. "I should've had the Shadow Proclamation on you when I had the chance!"</p>
<p>The Doctor just smirked proudly as he gave a little spin.</p>
<p>It was then that Amy realized he had <em>not</em> been kidding. "Wait, this actually happened!?"</p>
<p>"Oh yeah!" the Doctor said, once again spinning as he made a round on the console.</p>
<p>"Seriously, at least try to look a little sorry!" Renata walked up the glass steps to the console.</p>
<p>"Why would I be?" the Doctor stopped to smirk at her.</p>
<p>Renata mock-glared again and shook her head. "Amy, go on. Gabriella found the bath bombs." Amy nodded and hurried towards the corridor. "Not even going to apologize then?" she continued with the Doctor, but judging by his proud smile the answer was a no.</p>
<p>"I used to want to but now I changed my mind!"</p>
<p>"You're evil!"</p>
<p>"Smart!"</p>
<p>Amy laughed. "Okay, that's seriously funny!" <em>And kind of romantic</em>. She wouldn't mind if the same thing happened to her.</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <strong>Author's Note:</strong>
</p>
<p>And there we are! Ren and the Doctor finally "connected" on all mental levels! I love seeing my babies grow *sniff.</p>
<p><strong>P.S</strong> As always, I have a tumblr account dedicated to my fanfic works! It's a place where anyone can comment about a story or even just talk to me! I often drop aesthetic work belonging to my stories too! Feel free to check it out, my URL is "<strong>saiilorstars</strong>"</p>
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